Team Ten Tale
by CrimsonGear
Summary: At age thirteen, Itachi was tasked with killing his family. But what if that was avoided? Seemingly alone in the world and entrapped in a tangle of lies and mystery, Itachi sets off down a different path as the Jonin commander of Team 10.
1. Prologue: Formation

Hello there, basically this is a what-if scenario where the massacre is avoided. Criticism welcome and this fic is unbeta-ed so there may be spelling/grammar mistakes I haven't caught in read throughs. Enjoy.

* * *

"There has to be another way."

"No, Itachi, there isn't."

Itachi looked at his cousin pleadingly. They were sat on the edge of a cliff overlooking the Naka River. Only one of Shisui's eyes looked back, the other empty socket bleeding sluggishly. "We at least need to warn Father about what Danzo did."

"It'll only make him more eager to continue with the coup. Perhaps even push for it faster. Whatever chance we had before is over." Shisui looked down at his lap, or perhaps down at the raging waters below, Itachi couldn't tell for sure. "Still. I suppose I should thank you. Danzo's blade was laced in poison, if you had got there any later, I'd probably be dead."

"You don't sound thankful."

Shisui shrugged in response. It seemed they were both straining to find hope in this situation. "Technically they don't need us for the coup, they could do it without."

"I don't know what you're getting at, but I think you should be quiet, Shisui," Itachi said firmly. After a moment he stood. "I'm going to talk to Father. One last time, and get everything out in the open. It's the only way to find any last option where no one has to die for this."

"What? Tell Fugaku we sold his plans out to the Hokage? That we keep getting told we have about three days before the orders to murder everyone goes live? That the solution I had was to use Kotoamatsukami on him? And that Danzo thought it was a stupid idea and plucked my stupid eye out of my stupid head less than an hour ago?" Shisui spat. "Itachi, it's insane."

"Shisui," Itachi returned, the hint of begging in his voice causing Shisui's expression to soften. "I can't do this. I don't want to kill my family, I can't stand by and allow other people to do it, or let the coup happen. So where does that leave us?"

"At a complete impasse. The Hokage has tried to fix this, we've tried and all Danzo and Fugaku can think of is in finalities. Going over this again and again is the very definition of madness, Itachi. Seriously. Stop," he added to Itachi's retreating back.

"No. One last try. One last attempt to fix this. I have to try one last time. For Sasuke's sake." Behind him, Shisui let out a heavy sigh and stood too.

"Alright. Good luck. Do you want me to come with you?"

"Not unless you want to. You could distract Sasuke for me. I don't want him to overhear any of this."

Shisui considered it. "I'll come. Your mother is pretty skilled in keeping him away. Sasuke doesn't need me and my negative mood weighing him down. Besides, I have a blind side now. It'll be really obvious if Sasuke sneaks up on the wrong side of me."

"I thought you were a ninja," Itachi teased as they walked. "You shouldn't be getting snuck up on by seven year olds."

Shisui smirked, "I always let him stick me with one of those stuffed shuriken. Don't tell me you don't."

"Nope. I get the job of showing him how to throw them at you."

The two laughed and though the humour was forced, it did ease some of the tension weighing on both young men as they made their way to Itachi's house, Shisui covering the damage to his face with a quick henge.

Sliding the door to his home open, Itachi took his shoes off and barely responded as Sasuke poked his head out of the living room. "Big brother!"

"Sorry, Sasuke, I've got to talk to Father. We can play later, okay?" he said, poking Sasuke in the forehead.

"What? Ah, come on." Sasuke sighed, "Well, can we play, Shisui?"

"No, sorry. I've got to go talk to your Dad too," Shisui apologised, crouching as he pushed off his own shoes and shot a big smile at Sasuke. "After, 'kay?"

Sasuke gave a sigh so big he visibly stumbled. "Fiiiiiine."

"Do you know where Father is?" Itachi asked.

"Yeah, in their bedroom. Reading or doing work. I'm not sure."

"Alright, tell Mother we might be late for dinner."

"'Kay," Sasuke chirruped and disappeared back the way he came.

The house was rather big for only four of them, and the fact their parents used a futon meant that Itachi and Sasuke could have bedrooms upstairs while their parents room doubled as an office for Fugaku when he wasn't at the Police Department. Knocking once on the frame, Itachi slid the door open without invitation.

"Itachi. Shisui. Is something the matter?" Fugaku asked, his eyebrows drawn into a frown from where he sat at a low desk, various papers laid across it and another sheet in his hand.

"I need to talk to you about the coup. It can't wait," said Itachi, entering and allowing Shisui to shut the door behind them as Fugaku frowned more and reluctantly put his papers down and crossed his arms.

"What do you need to say?"

"Please. I need you to reconsider it."

"No."

"You haven't even heard my reasons!"

"I don't need to. Your voice is one in hundreds of our clan. I'm sorry, Itachi, but you're outnumbered. The villagers revile us, and despite our rank, give us no respect, nor do we garner any from fellow clans. We practically live in a ghetto. A revolt is the only way to make them respect us."

"This isn't about respect. It's about pride, and I would rather have no pride than demand respect through bloodshed to satisfy your needs."

Fugaku was silent for a moment. "Alright. What would you do? If you were in my position, with daily reports of your clansmen being insulted, assaulted or forced to arrest multiple people when small disagreements escalate? If you hear walking through the street 'those damn Uchiha, I heard that Madara Uchiha once controlled the Kyuubi with his Sharingan. I wonder if that's why the beast tried to destroy our village seven years ago?' 'I'll bet they were behind it.' 'Can't trust the Uchiha'? Knowing that after we fought hard for this village ever since it was founded by Madara Uchiha and Harashima Senju, through the Ninja Wars and the Kyuubi attack, where we were in fact stationed to protect the villagers on the back lines, even though every man and their dog knew we should be at the front, trying to use our Sharingan to subdue the beast, but no one trusted us enough to allow it?" Fugaku glared hard at his eldest son and waited for the reply.

"Did you ever ask the Hokage about that?" Itachi wondered. "About why you were at the back?"

"During the Kyuubi attack? Danzo ordered us to stay back," Fugaku confirmed. "The Hokage were on the front lines and presumably left their advisors in charge."

Danzo again. Manipulating behind the scenes, keeping the Uchiha at bay.

"Danzo doesn't trust us," noted Shisui, speaking Itachi's thoughts.

"No, I expect he doesn't. Though I really don't know why. Kagami thought of him as a great ally so I understand," said Fugaku.

"My Grandfather?" Shisui blinked. "I heard they were on a team together during the First Shinobi War."

"If that's the case then his actions either make no sense, or make him the most jealous man I've ever heard of," said Itachi, scratching his head in frustration. He was beginning to wonder just how true some of the more ridiculous rumours ANBU had about Danzo were.

"You think he's jealous of the Sharingan?" Shisui guessed, coming further into the room and sitting down, obviously expecting to be here a while.

Itachi nodded, "It makes sense. Hatake Kakashi seemed to dislike him greatly too, but I didn't consider the Sharingan could be related to that until now."

Fugaku frowned. "Why is that relevant?"

Itachi and Shisui shared a look while Fugaku looked between them. Eventually, Shisui nodded and Itachi looked to his Father as Shisui cancelled his jutsu. "Shisui's right eye was stolen by Danzo an hour ago."

"What?!" Fugaku yelled eyes wide in a mixture of fear and anger. "And you didn't think to lead with that?! Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?"

"Yes," said Shisui, unphased, "He has access to Kotoamatsukami. If and when he implants it in someone. Probably himself."

Gritting his teeth, Fugaku looked between the two. "And why were you hiding that from me? When did he have the opportunity to take it from you in the first place?"

"Because we weren't sure what to do. It was taken after Shisui got permission from Lord Hokage to try using Kotoamatsukami on you to halt the coup."

Fugaku looked at his son with his jaw hanging, then to Shisui in disappointment, "Are you two serious? You are."

"We just didn't think a coup was the right path," said Shisui, pointedly not looking at Fugaku.

"What if…" Itachi began slowly. "What if all this, these last seven years of unrest and perhaps any unease before that, were all Danzo playing the long game?"

The other two men looked to Itachi expectantly for him to continue, frowning yet curious. "Go on," urged Fugaku.

"What if this is all some huge plan for Danzo to get his hands on all the Sharingan he could possibly need, while also damning us in the history books to never return? Either he kills us and some horrible tragedy is blamed as the cause, and Danzo gets tens of dojutsu bearing eyes to use, or the Uchiha are proved to be the distrustful and hateful bunch he claims and he gets to kill us all anyway."

Silence followed his words and in the wake of any conversation, Itachi slowly slid to the floor too, clasping his hands together and looking at the tatami mat below him as he tried to think if there was even a way out of this situation, if what they assumed was true.

"If that's his end goal," Fugaku began, "then to avoid that, we would have to calm the entire situation, or offload the hatred onto a different target. Neither of which sounds plausible."

"But it is," Itachi said quietly, eyes widening. "Father. Offload the hate. That's our option."

"How?" asked Shisui, "Or rather where?"

"Me. Or us I suppose."

Fugaku frowned. "What are you thinking?"

"Shisui and I have never been for the coup, we've made that much clear, but the wider village doesn't know that, and the only upper echelons that do are Lord Third and his council. We play the line of the coup being entirely my idea and I convinced Shisui. This meeting here is us asking you for support."

"I'm not offended, but why am I lumped into the evil plan?" Shisui asked.

"Because you're down an eye and need a reason not to go on missions for a considerable length of time. Or are you suggesting you can adapt to a severe lack of depth perception in a number of hours or days?"

Shisui shrugged at that. "Alright. And how do we get out of this without being killed? Because I'm pretty sure this is still treason."

"We make it a rumour," Itachi said simply. "In this meeting where Shisui and I are advocating how much we hate the village and think Uchiha should lead, you, Father, are completely against it. You throw me out and disown me, and place Shisui under house arrest for the foreseeable future."

"That's reckless and particularly ill-thought out for you," Fugaku noted. "What benefit does you being disowned do to this situation?"

"It appears to isolate me from the rest of the Uchiha, publically."

"Making you a very pretty target for Danzo from my perspective," said Shisui.

"Yes, but we know his game. I'm not letting my guard down, and it wouldn't seem out of character for a scorned child to be distrustful and guarded."

Fugaku shook his head, "Danzo's Root operatives will know of the deceit. It makes your plan almost useless."

"But his plan isn't to fool anyone other than the villagers," Shisui said, eyes widening in understanding. "They would see you exposing a horrible deed and uprooting two very strong ninja with evil desires. Keeping them apart, me here and Itachi in the village, and essentially taking away all of Itachi's titles is a very bold move. It would have an effect on the people, and if we play our networking correctly, should ripple into at least acceptance from the people."

Itachi nodded. "And, though I'm not sure we'll be believed, I'd like to tell Lord Hokage about your eye, Shisui. I think if he believes us, it would at least prepare him for possible manipulation and at best, be the final straw to remove Danzo from the council."

"You think the Hokage is wary of him?" asked Fugaku.

"Yes. Where Lord Hokage is merciful, Danzo is ruthless, where Lord Hokage is thoughtful and peaceful, Danzo is deceitful and warmongering. He hides it behind fierce loyalty, but his zealous is cancer. It'll destroy Konoha, we need balance between the five countries, not dictatorship."

"Unfortunately, you're correct, it'll be hard to prove anything against Danzo, but," Fugaku sighed and hung his head. "I'm willing to try. Upset as I am with the treatment we've had, it won't change anything to try your way. But I want you to know, if this doesn't go your way, we move anyway, Itachi. I'm giving you a chance, and I hope for everyone's sake it succeeds." He stood and gestured for Itachi to stand. "I want you to know I love you. You're a very kind child and I'm sorry for what I'm about to do. The pain you'll endure."

Itachi bit his lip and nodded, rising to meet his father. "I'm ready. Tell Mother I love you both. And Sasuke."

Fugaku nodded and took a breath before grabbing his son by the scruff and threw him bodily at the paper door, Itachi easily falling through the thin material and onto their walkway loudly, his momentum rolling him off it and into the surrounding garden as Fugaku yelled. "How dare you insinuate that. You're talking treason, Itachi and I won't stand for it."

"The village is full of cretins and idiots," Itachi sneered, "They stifle us when we should be in charge. We live in a ghetto because they are scared!"

"A ghetto? Is that what you call you home? Get out!" Fugaku yelled. "Get your mission bag and get lost, don't come back for your things. They'll be burned. Go live the village you hate, and _you_, Shisui. I thought you knew better. You're on house arrest and I'll be reporting you both to Lord Hokage."

Determined to look as slighted and hateful as possible, Itachi stormed through their home, ignoring Sasuke and slamming any door he came into contact with before grabbing his bag and heading for the door.

His father's shouting had drawn an audience and Itachi could see Inabi and Yashiro leading Shisui away as Fugaku looked on. As Itachi passed him, Fugaku turned, Sharingan flashing with anger at Itachi. Reaching out, Fugaku grabbed Itachi's collar and yanked, a kunai between his fingers helping tear the fabric right over the Uchiha fan on his back. "You're no son of mine," he said lowly, dangerously, and Itachi could do nothing more than glare back, shirt in tatters, Sharingan burning to hide his growing sorrow.

"Get off you old fool. You'll regret ignoring me one day soon."

Fugaku let his hand fall. "Go. I don't want your spiteful being anywhere near my clan. And if you so much as talk to Sasuke in the street, I'll haul your ass into the Police Station."

Itachi sneered. "Like I'd want to see the little shitstain anyway. I was only pretending to like him. Have fun with your useless heir." He threw his middle finger up at Fugaku for extra measure and stalked off to a plethora of curses being thrown from his now ex-kinsmen, his pursuit and arrest only thwarted by Fugaku refusing to give that order. Itachi was almost glad he didn't have to be a fly on the wall to the clan meeting that would follow tonight.

* * *

Five years later, no Uchiha had revolted or died, so Itachi counted that as a win. There wasn't a huge amount of things to be positive about in his current situation, but having successfully stopped the coup was definitely one of them.

Following leaving home, Itachi had spoken to the Hokage and explained the situation, the result seeing Itachi removed from ANBU and re-ranked as a Jonin, and Danzo being removed from the Third Hokage's council and ordered to disband Root. Rumours circulated much how Itachi had expected and within the week, the general public thought Itachi was as much a monster as the Kyuubi itself, something Itachi found particularly humorous as he lived three floors below the child housing the Bijuu.

The ninja populace was a little more suspicious, but were bound by the Hokage's decision – that Itachi, whilst obviously expressing ideology that didn't sit well with anyone, hadn't actually acted yet, and was to be permitted a second chance. Though all that Itachi really cared about was that his plan had worked; the general public lessened their distrust of the Uchiha and focused all their dislike on Itachi and Shisui when the latter was around. Mostly though, Shisui took to staying within the Uchiha Compound, with Itachi and he meeting in secret to exchange information.

He was occasionally confronted by other ninja about the events surrounding that day, and as he opened the door to his tiny apartment to find Kakashi Hatake reading porn on his bed, Itachi supposed it was finally the Copy Ninja's turn to try extracting the truth.

"I'm pretty sure there's locks on windows and doors for a reason," Itachi commented, shutting the door and moving to store away his groceries.

"Well, I wouldn't be much of a ninja if I couldn't get past those," the silver haired man responded, turning a page in his book, adding casually. "I went through your things."

"I'd be surprised if you didn't," Itachi admitted, finding he wasn't at all incensed by the idea of Kakashi rooting through his personal items, none of which were overly personal. He burned any important documents that weren't needed for filing at the Hokage Tower and never wrote or received written missives to his clan. The only photo he owned was of he and Izumi at a tea shop when they were young, and while the couple were the main focus, Itachi had actually only claimed the picture from his room the day he left because Sasuke and Shisui were in the background. He hadn't dared take a family picture with him in case people like Kakashi broke in and made assumptions. "Did you find what you wanted?"

"No. You are as enigmatic as ever," Kakashi confirmed. "Though I was hoping you could enlighten me."

Itachi let the statement hang a moment as he continued to put his shopping away. When Kakashi didn't speak further, he asked, "Enlighten you about what exactly? I'm not exactly the local gossip girl. You should try Inoichi."

"Inoichi wouldn't be able to tell me why Danzo got kicked off the Council the same day you were disowned," Kakashi said, "How do I know? I already asked. And we both agree it's very suspicious."

"It was also five years ago. I don't remember what I ate for breakfast that day, why would I have any idea what Danzo had done to upset the Hokage enough for that to happen?" argued Itachi. "Danzo has always been a shady man, it could have been absolutely anything and my disownment a complete coincidence."

"Could be, but several of us agree the chances of that are very slim."

Pointedly going back to his bags of shopping, unwilling to give the conversation his full attention, Itachi shifted the topic. "'Us'? Well, aren't you the social butterfly. I thought you hated cliques?"

"Why did you leave your clan that day?" Kakashi pressed, undeterred.

"… Because I felt they deserved better. You saw them under ANBU surveillance. It was like watching lab rats. I wanted more for my family, and thought they did too. I was wrong."

"So that coup you supposedly were planning is completely off? You've given that idea up?"

"An uprising is hard without people sharing your ideology. Even if I did manage it on my own, it's rather pointless when any and all survivors would hate my guts."

Closing his book, Kakashi sat up and reached into his pouch for a scroll. "Well, whatever. I guess I'll try get my answers in another five years. Lord Hokage sent me with this. You're being appointed a Genin squad."

"Oh joy," said Itachi flatly, turning and taking the scroll, pulling it open to scan the contents. "I take it you also have a team. Well. For now anyway. You've failed every team if I hear right."

"Now who's in a clique?" countered Kakashi. "But yes. I have Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke."

"My foolish little brother and the Kyuubi kid upstairs. Well. That's a mess created in hell. I pity you and the other one," Itachi smirked, lowering his scroll. "I have the latest generation of Ino-Shika-Cho."

"A Clan brat with a team of Clan brats. Sounds worse than mine," said Kakashi shrugged opening Itachi's window with one hand. "At least I only have one Clan brat. Your egos will probably mash so badly you'll be doing D-Ranks for the next ten years."

Itachi jerked his chin in the direction of the open window. "I'm not even going to pretend to rise to that. Jump out of my window and leave me alone, Kakashi."

"Kakashi-_sensei_," the man stressed. "And have a good day yourself. Sensei." Hoping up on the windowsill, Kakashi offered a wave before leaping away, Itachi happy to see the back of the man and locking the window once more. Setting his kettle to boil, Itachi sat down at a small desk beside his bed and perused the scroll properly, reading through the summary of his team and their scores, sighing when he realised attention span and drive seemed to be a main problem with these three.

He didn't particularly mind being a Jonin sensei, though Itachi would be surprised if he didn't hear a complaint about it once the parents of his team found out who was leading them. He was also very glad the Hokage hadn't selected Itachi for Sasuke's team as that would be awkward at best and downright disastrous at worst.

The next morning, Itachi arrived at his appointed time to the Konoha academy dressed in Jonin standard attire, paperwork in one gloved hand and the other shoved in his pocket as he walked through the hall, finding the classroom full of graduates easily enough.

"Hello. I'm looking for Yamanaka Ino, Akimichi Choji and Nara Shaikamaru, please," Itachi said politely, not bothering to introduce himself as he scanned the room searching for anyone reacting to their names while also noting Sasuke glaring at him from the second row.

"Oh! Hey, Itachi! You're a sensei?" called a blond and Itachi found himself smiling a little as he made eye contact with the kid. "Damn, I wish I was on your team."

"Hello, Naruto. I'm glad to see you finally passed. How come you haven't left yet though? I'm here for Team 10. You should have left at least fifteen minutes ago."

Naruto balked, "What seriously?! How the hell is our sensei so late!"

"Did you seriously not notice people leaving, idiot," a girl said as she passed Naruto, dragging two boys behind her. "We're here, Sensei. I'm Ino, the spiky haired dork is Shikamaru and the fatass is Choji."

"I'm not fat, bitch! I'm chubby. Chubby!" Choji insisted, growling at Ino. As Itachi was about to try break it up, a cold voice cut in.

"What could possibly qualify you to be a teacher? The Hokage must have lost his mind if he thinks you're safe around other people."

Itachi could feel all eyes shift between him and the speaker, Sasuke, who was still giving Itachi a hateful look over steepled fingers.

"The hell are you talking about, bastard? Itachi-sensei is totally safe. He let me crash at his once when I couldn't find my keys," Naruto defended.

Itachi gave a small shrug. "Perhaps he has. It's not for me to comment. Though I'm glad it isn't for you to decide. Say hello to your parents from me. I'm sure it'll give Fugaku an aneurism to know I'm still breathing. Let's go you three," he added to Ino, Choji and Shikamaru, the latter of whom seemed to have split up the earlier spat. Heading to the classroom door, he heard three sets of feet follow him and waited until they were out into the courtyard before speaking again. "I'd like to get to know you three a little better. Choji, is there anywhere you'd like to eat?"

Choji's eyes lit up, but just as he was about to speak, Shikamaru cut him off. "Hold up just a sec. What was that back there with Sasuke?"

"Yeah, you two really seem to hate each other," Ino noted.

Itachi shrugged. "It's complicated. Let's find somewhere for lunch and I'll answer some of your questions and you answer mine. Sound fair?"

"Of course!" Choji dived in before his teammates. "There's a barbeque place a few blocks away. Dad and I go there a lot so I'm sure I can snag us a booth."

"Alright, lead the way," Itachi nodded. Wooping, Choji turned on his heel and hummed happily as they walked.

"Did you really let Naruto crash at yours?" Shikamaru asked, glancing up at Itachi.

"We live in the same apartment complex. It's not as weird as he made it sound," Itachi replied. "I made him get a second key cut and keep a spare so it doesn't happen again."

Shikamaru grinned. "He snores like a bear, right?"

"Like a dying bear that won't be quiet." The boy laughed and Itachi smiled a little. Naruto's snoring was awful, but he hadn't minded. It was better to know the boy was safe than sleeping in an alley or something and breaking into the apartment in the morning like the blonde's original plan. "He'll have to sort that out if he ever wants to do stealth missions."

"Naruto doesn't know the meaning of the word stealth," Shikamaru argued. They fell into an easy quiet that was only broken by the chatter of the barbeque restaurant, barely half-full as it wasn't quite time for the lunch rush yet.

Choji spoke happily to the girl at the desk and was soon waving them over to follow him to a booth at to one side of the room with a large grill imbedded into the table. Slipping into the booth, Itachi was surprised to find Ino sat next to him. The booth was more than large enough for the three Genin to sit next to each other and him across, which was rather what Itachi had intended, but he decided it wasn't worth questioning as he caught the spark of infatuation in Ino's eyes. No, that was a whole kettle of fish he wasn't going to touch.

He waited for the other three to order, throat tight as Choji reeled off half of the menu and quietly requested a bowl of miso soup, resisting the urge to check how much money was in his wallet.

"You're not having anything, Sensei?" Choji asked, noticing Itachi's cheap choice of food.

"I'm meeting a friend later, we usually eat out so I'd rather not have anything much now," he lied. "While they prepare your meet, why don't you three tell me about yourselves? Likes, dislikes, hopes or dreams?" he prompted.

"Sure," smiled Ino, "My favourite food is cherry tomatoes, I hate sashimi and I love shopping. One day I'd like to meet a certain someone, but for now, my dream is to watch out for my friends."

"I like buying and trying different snacks and going to new restaurants with my family," Choji said. "I don't wanna fight people, but my parents made me go to the academy, which was cool, 'cause I met Shikamaru there and we're really good friends," he added, smiling at the spiky haired boy who returned it with a lazy grin of his own.

"And you, Shikamaru?" Itachi prompted.

"I'm like Choji, I don't want to fight or be a ninja. I want an easy life, where I can just watch the clouds and do nothing. I hate doing anything that's a drag. Like this," Shikamaru stated. "Now how about you tell us why Sasuke hates you?"

Leaning back and relaxing against the booth wall, Itachi shrugged. "He doesn't like me because he's little brother. I got disowned from my clan five years ago and haven't been permitted on their land since."

"How come you got disowned?" Choji frowned.

Shikamaru's eyes narrowed. "And how come you're so calm about it? As his older brother, you'd have been heir right?"

"I was," Itachi nodded. "And the reason I'm disowned is long and uninteresting. I'll tell you one day if you impress me."

"Impress you?" Shikamaru said with a sneer, offended.

"Yes. You see, you haven't actually graduated yet. There's another test," Itachi confirmed.

Ino gave a hurt look, "Another test? But, Iruka-sensei never mentioned…"

"He's not permitted to. He was grading your on paper abilities to become ninja, now that you have a Jonin mentor, we assess those skills practically before taking you on. If you aren't up to scratch, you'll either be sent back to the academy for another year or be kicked out of the ninja regime all-together," Itachi explained.

"So what's this other test?" Shikamaru asked.

"We're going to play tag."

Choji tilted his head. "Tag?"

"Yes. In one hour at Training Field Two. Once there I'll give you twenty seconds to position yourselves anyway you like, but you cannot touch me until I call start. During those twenty seconds, I shall remain still. Once time starts you have an hour to tag me. If you do not, you fail."

"What a drag," Shikamaru sighed.

"An hour?" Choji said forlornly. Their food arrived as the information Itachi had given them sunk in, and only Choji seemed distracted from the weight of their test by the interruption, the Akimichi immediately cheering up and drooling slightly as he filled their grill with meat.

Choji ate with wild abandon, while Ino and Shikamaru kept shooting Itachi glances as they ate; the former curious and hurt, the latter calculating. It didn't bother Itachi as he drank his miso and wondered about how well these three would rise to the challenge, he was busy analysing their personalities. Choji was very obviously committed to food, like much of his family, Shikamaru showed some inkling of analytic tendencies, though how much effort the boy was willing to put in seemed limited and Ino seemed the most emotionally disorganised, despite her good test scores. He hoped they proved him wrong and came together when the moment required it.

Once the hour was up, Itachi paid the bill, holding back a wince at the severity of the cost. He was completely cleaned out and hadn't paid rent yet this month. That would cause problems later. "Do you three know the way to the training grounds?" he asked as they left the barbeque restaurant. At a collective shake of heads, Itachi shrugged and took point, leading the group to their true Genin exam.

The training grounds around Konoha looked mostly the same, vast acres of woodland interspersed with clearings and large stones. Ninja with a regular training zone often left equipment permanently set up as well to ease their own training sessions. Itachi for example had a number of targets placed throughout the grounds of Training Ground Two, though his team wouldn't be using them at the moment.

"Alright, let's go through the rules before we start," Itachi ordered, hands slipping into his trouser pockets. "I'll stand in the middle of this clearing at the moment the test starts. The training ground boundaries are marked by a wire fence. None of us will leave that boundary during the time limit. You are allowed to use any ninja techniques you desire to tag me, ninjustu, genjutsu, taijutsu, tools, all are available. I am permitted to use ninjutsu and genjutsu, but not tools or taijustu," here, he moved his hands to unclip his weapons and kunai pouches, carelessly tossing them to one side. "Before I take my position and allow you your prep time, are there any questions?"

Ino raised her hand. "So, to pass, do we all have to catch you or just one of us?"

"All of you," Itachi confirmed. "Once you catch me, you pass and are excused from participating. Fail and you go back to the academy."

"And we can stand _wherever_ we want when you start the timer?" Choji checked.

Itachi nodded, "Yes, anywhere you desire so long as you are not touching me before time starts." He gave it a beat for any more questions before stating. "Very well. Let's begin."

Once he was situated in the centre of the training ground, Itachi beckoned the group to take their own starting positions, watching the time count down on an ancient looking pocket watch he had pulled from his flack jacket. It had belonged to his great-grandfather and Itachi had been given it the day he graduated the academy though he rarely took it on missions, finding the ticking loud and obnoxious and not at all stealthy.

Snapping the watch case shut, he looked up to find Shikamaru where he had left him while Choji and Ino had decided to get as close as possible, the former crouched before him with hands looped, ready to snag Itachi and Ino with her fingers not even half an inch above his arm. Itachi stowed the watch away in his jacket pocket once more. "Ready? You have one hour. Begin."

The instant the last word had left his mouth, Itachi flickered out of sight. At the same time, Choji and Ino tried to grab him, ending with Choji overbalancing and falling to the floor and Ino staring into the empty space dumbfounded.

"But how?" she wondered. "We were so impossibly close, how did you dodge?" She looked around and spotted Itachi several feet away, one hand in his pocket, the other clutching a bag of crisps.

He shrugged. "I'm fast. That was a good effort though." Turning his head, he looked to Shikamaru expectantly, the boy not having moved at all.

The boy didn't react and Itachi was forced to ignore him for a moment as the ground rumbled. "Give me back my chips!" roared Choji, his ninjutsu-expanded body hurtling towards Itachi threateningly, "Human boulder!"

Jumping to safety once again, Itachi weighed up his options. He could throw the crisps, he could open them, and either eat them or dump them on the ground. He needed Choji to take this seriously, which seemed to be working; however, he also wanted Ino and Shikamaru to take part as well. Just what was Shikamaru thinking anyway, the boy hadn't moved at all. Not even to attempt hand signs for Shadow Paralysis. Which was probably a wise decision, Itachi wasn't nearly distracted enough for Shikamaru to get a decent attempt at the jutsu in.

He could hear Choji turning around and briefly glanced at his to work out the boy's trajectory, allowing Ino to throw a barrage of kunai in Itachi's direction he was forced to dodge by his own rules of not using ninja tools. Choji then made another easily dodged charge and another two more before he was forced to cancel the jutsu, dazed by the rigorous movement.

"Shikamaru! What are you doing you lazy asshole!" Ino chided. "Don't you want to pass?"

"Not really, this is such a drag," Shikamaru noted, though Itachi saw the boy didn't look totally bored. That analytical look flashed in the boy's eyes and Itachi knew that despite his words, Shikamaru was assessing his movements.

More kunai flew from Ino's direction, along with a handful of shuriken. Deciding to get a little more serious, Itachi allowed the tools to hit their mark, only for his body to disperse into a flock of crows.

His students widened their eyes.

"H-how did he-. What _was_ that?" demanded Choji.

Ino balked. "I didn't even see hand signs."

Shikamaru didn't speak either, but he looked shaken. After a second, he slapped his hands into the ram sign. "Release!" Letting out a burst of chakra, Shikamaru broke through Itachi's low-level genjutsu and took stock of the situation around him before touching both his teammates and breaking them out too.

"Huh? Shikamaru, were you always that fast?" Ino frowned, not having seen the boy move.

"He used genjutsu, look," Shikamaru said, throwing a thumb over his shoulder. In reality, Itachi hadn't moved from the ninja tool attack, using the bag of crisps to block the strikes, utterly wrecking it and the crisps inside.

"M-my chips… I hadn't even tried that flavour yet…" Choji lamented, falling to his knees.

Ino growled. "Damnit, Choji, not everything is about food!"

"Yes it totally is! Those were the new Consumate flavour from Nitora Kitchen, you can only get them in Kusagakure, my Dad got me them specially when he went there on a mission!" the boy yelled in return, swinging a finger to point at Itachi. "And that bastard destroyed them. So we have to take revenge!"

"Fifty-four minutes," Itachi declared. At the confused look Choji gave him, he elaborated. "You have fifty-four minutes remaining."

The boy cracked his knuckles in response. "Then I have fifty-four minutes to beat your ass."

"Choji. Wait." Shikamaru put a hand on his friend's shoulder to still him. "Ino, come here," he jerked his head and the three walked off, presumably to be out of hearing range. Activating his Sharingan, Itachi watched subtly while appearing to examine his watch as the three spoke, reading their lips as best he could from their position.

"He's doing this deliberately," Shikamaru told his teammates. "He wants us to act and he's making a point of showing off to rile us up. But individually, it's obvious we can't catch him. We have to work together, and for that, we need a strategy."

Ino made a comment, but with her back to him, Itachi could be sure what she'd said.

"I was watching him. He's right, he's stupidly fast, so we have to figure out a way to slow him down."

"What are you thinking?" Choji wondered.

Itachi watched Shikamaru explain his plan to his teammates and found himself impressed. It might even work if Itachi hadn't been spying. Which is exactly why he deactivated his Sharingan and pretended as though he had no idea why the three were throwing shuriken at him with almost reckless abandon. Choji once more activated his human boulder jutsu and bounced towards him, with Itachi dodging and forced to backflip away from more shuriken.

Weapons littered the floor and Itachi pretended to be confused. "Are you done? Those weapon pouches of yours look rather empty."

"Yeah, but yours aren't." Shikamaru grinned and Itachi's eyes widened as Choji threw a pouch to each of his teammates. Ino used a burst of chakra to flip to a more strategic point, allowing the thee to surround him and once more launch a barrage of weapons at him, leaving him stuck dodging the ones in the air and on the ground. He also noticed them periodically using genjutsu release to dispel any attempt Itachi had of hoodwinking them. Very clever.

Among all this, Shikamaru was waiting for an opening to use his Shadow Paralysis, his range extended thanks to the shuriken casting small shadows on the floor below and Itachi's field of movement ever-narrowing thanks to the same reason. And these three still had twenty minutes of testing time.

Gritting his teeth, Itachi sprang high into the air to get out of the mess of shuriken and landed by Choji who tried to swing at him with a kunai. Ino charged in to join and Itachi feinted and dodged around the two with fever, seeing Shikamaru making hand-signs out of his peripherals.

He froze suddenly in utter surprise and Choji socked him in the cheek, causing him to recoil.

"Hey! Choji!" chastised Shikamaru from behind him. Where Ino should have been.

"What?" Itachi looked over to where Shikamaru had been. He was still there. But he'd heard Shikamaru behind him…

"Heh. Sorry, Shikamaru. I was sort of already punching him before you caught him.

"Yeah, yeah. What a drag. Just move so I can get him stuck by that tree and tag him. Ino, we're done!" Shikamaru called and the other Shikamaru disappeared in a poof of smoke to be replaced by Ino, grinning.

"Transformation. But when?" Itachi asked as he was marched towards the nearest tree, forced to march against it so the real Shikamaru could close the distance and be close enough to touch Itachi, Ino coming over to tag him next before the jutsu was cancelled.

"When Choji went for your weapons. We switched, since we knew you'd be watching out for my Shadow Paralysis, but Ino's Mind Transfer needs a direct line of travel to the target, so you wouldn't think to watch her for hand signs," Shikamaru explained.

"Very clever. I'm glad to say you all pass, and, I'm sorry about your crisps, Choji. I'll try get you some more to replace them soon," Itachi said, genuinely remorseful about being so underhanded.

Choji smiled. "It's okay. I've more than one bag at home, I just was wanting to eat that bag later today. You can just pay for lunch again sometime."

Itachi laughed awkwardly. "Yeah. About that, we might have to do several missions before I can do that again. As your Sensei I can't really take solo missions for a while, and you guys can only take D or C ranked, which don't pay enough for large meals out."

"Aw man," Choji pouted, Ino chuckling a little.

"At any rate while you're here, I'd like to set up a training schedule, then you can all go home for the day," said Itachi, leaning his back against the tree trunk. "Do any of you have extra-curricular activities that would limit which days you can train on?"

The boys shook their heads, but Ino nodded. "I work at my parents' flower shop part-time Mondays and Thursdays."

"Okay, I can work around that. Shikamaru, I want you to come here Monday and Thursday, Choji Tuesday and Friday and Ino on Wednesday and Saturday. All three of you come together on Sundays for team training. Two while six p.m. and in a couple of weeks we can look at our first mission." For now, he wanted to train with them individually and assess their strengths, weaknesses and how to progress, as well as allow them time to rest between and hopefully apply some initiative and self-learn or train with their clans. Training as a group at the end of the week would allow Itachi to see how much they were taking away from individual sessions and he could always switch up the ratio later as he learned his team's needs. "Welcome to Team 10."


	2. Chapter 1: Exploration

So... there's a mix of POVs here and I'm not sure how I feel about it. I kinda feel like Itachi and his team deserve separate focus, but I haven't found who I want to be the Team Ten POV character yet.

Content-wise though, I'm happy with and so I figured I'd put another chapter up and get some feedback that way. Thanks to everyone who reviewed and followed.

* * *

Training, as it turned out, was exactly what each Genin in Team Ten believed torture was.

"At least you don't have to get up at the crack of dawn, then wait three hours for your sensei to decide to turn up," Naruto whined, head in his hands on the counter. The blonde had persuaded Shikamaru and Choji to join him at Ichiraku's Ramen Stand since Sakura and Sasuke didn't want to hang out with him and Ino had been more interested on getting a shower than any form of food.

"Yeah, but you guys are doing missions right? Itachi-sensei won't even let us look at mission requests," Choji pointed out. "It's been like a month already, this is brutal."

Shikamaru lifted his head from the counter as a bowl of steaming ramen was placed beside him, adding, "I asked Iruka-sensei the other week why we were paired together. He says our three teamwork skills were the highest, and also that since our Dads worked so well together, it was kind of assumed we would."

"Well that's even more of a reason for Itachi-sensei to give us a mission instead of drills!" Choji argued.

"I dunno, the missions we've been on so far are pretty crap," Naruto noted. "We've done the same stupid D-Ranks over and over. Literally with that stupid missing cat."

Choji laughed, "Yeah, I heard about that. Some rich woman who loves her cat. Cat doesn't feel the same. Poor thing."

Naruto mumbled something unintelligible around a mouthful of ramen.

"Try that again with an _empty_ mouth, Naruto," Shikamaru chided, eating at a far more sedate pace.

"I _said_, maybe Itachi-sensei is keeping you off missions 'cause his teamwork scores aren't high," Naruto repeated with a frown.

"Huh?" Choji's eyebrows drew together and Shikamaru eyed Naruto warily.

"What are you talking about, Naruto?"

Naruto elaborated, "Itachi left the academy at seven. So he's probably been working either alone or with much older ninja. So maybe he's trying to get a feel for you guys?"

"Huh. I didn't know that," Choji blinked.

Shikamaru still looked doubtful. "Me neither. Naruto, how'd you know?"

"Me and him hang out sometimes, I asked him about his time in the academy after I failed a bunch of tests last year," Naruto answered easily. "He had no idea about them because he took final year exams like six months into his first year. Pretty impressive huh?"

"You sure? That's… completely unheard of," said Shikamaru.

"Yeah, totally, believe it!"

"I still find it weird you hang out with Sensei," said Choji. "He doesn't really hang out with us outside of training."

"Yeah," nodded Shikamaru, "He seems the type to stick to himself, you know?"

"I guess," Naruto shrugged. "He is pretty weird. Reads a lot and tries to make me eat more vegetables. He taught me how to throw a kunai better though," he noted happily. "Remember that day I hit all the targets in shuriken practise? Hehe, Itachi had me throwing them at a target on the walls of our apartment block for hours all week."

Choji and Shikamaru stared at Naruto blankly for a moment, jaws hanging. Eventually Choji spoke up. "But… you didn't hit the inner ring. Except like maybe once. Itachi-sensei hits dead centre. Every time."

"Yeah, it's a drag. Especially when he makes us run around _his_ training area hitting targets he obviously knows the placements of like the back of his hands." Shikamaru huffed and pushed his half-finished ramen to Naruto who grinned and started on it once his own bowl was empty, a neat stack of them slowly piling up beside him on the counter.

"It sucks even more that he keeps wanting us to do it faster," Choji said then waved to Teuchi for another bowl, his own pile just slightly ahead of Naruto's. "They're in really weird positions so it takes about five minutes."

"And he did that thing where he jumped in the air and span around like a circus performer," Shikamaru said, pointing with his finger.

Choji jabbed his finger back, "Yeah, a crazy, deadly performer who hit all the targets in like one move."

It was Naruto's turn to stare. "Seriously? Wow, Itachi's so cool!"

Choji raised an eyebow, "Dude, we'll swap."

"Nah, ending up with Sasuke or Sakura would be a total drag," argued Shikamaru. "Does she still kiss the ground Sasuke walks on?" he added to Naruto who deflated.

"Yeah," he said, hanging his head. "She won't even look at me and Sasuke doesn't pay attention to her at all. He's always trying way too hard to look cool and be the best."

Choji snorted. "I think Ino's switched to liking Itachi-sensei. She's like super-motivated to train."

"Yeah, it's a total drag, though I can see the connection," hummed Shikamaru, "She and Sakura both like Sasuke and Itachi's his brother. They kinda have the same face."

"That's weird. And… isn't it illegal or something?" Naruto frowned. "Also, I had no idea he was Sasuke's brother, but yeah, now you mention it, the resemblance is there."

"Nah, he's seventeen. He just looks older," Shikamaru shrugged. "But I don't think he cares about girls."

"Still kinda weird wanting to kiss our Sensei," said Choji.

Silence fell on them a moment allowing them to go back to their meals before Naruto startled, snapping his head and shouting "Guys!" causing Choji to choke on his ramen noodles.

"Itachi's got a picture of a girl next to his bed! I bet he's not interested in Ino because he already _has_ a girlfriend!" Naruto declared around Choji's coughing.

"S-seriously? You scared the shit out of me for that?" croaked Choji glaring, "I nearly spilled my ramen."

"I forgot okay?" Naruto pouted. "But it's a cute girl. Brown hair, and she's smiling. Itachi's in the photo too, but he's younger in it. His hair isn't as long."

Shikamaru and Choji shared a look, wondering if it was from before Itachi had been disowned. Either way, maybe sneaking into their sensei's apartment and having a look around could give them some idea about Itachi as a person, or at least push him to give them a mission. From the sounds of it, they were legitimately the only team not performing them.

"I kinda want to see it," Choji admitted.

"Yeah, but getting caught would be a drag," Shikamaru pointed out.

"Well, we could go have a look on Wednesday when he's training with Ino?" Choji suggested.

"I'll help!" Naruto offered, "I can take you up to his apartment!"

That seemed to settle it. Paying for their food and each heading home, the three agreed to meet at 2:45, at the entrance to Naruto's apartment complex. Unlike Naruto's own sensei, Itachi was punctual though Shikamaru didn't want to risk him seeing them heading towards his home as he went to meet Ino, who they all agreed was better off kept in the dark about their plan.

"Are you sure you wanna use the front door?" Naruto asked as he lead the other two ninja up the stairs of his complex, hands clasped lazily behind his head.

"Yeah, if he's expecting a break in, it'll be from a ninja at the window. Doors are for civilians and people with a right to be there," explained Shikamaru. "It's totally the safer option."

"Think we'll get lucky and he's got a key under the welcome mat?" Choji asked around munching on a bag of crisps.

"I don't think so," said Naruto, "He doesn't have a welcome mat. Here we are."

He stopped at a door and turned to the other two with a curious frown. "So how're you getting in?"

"Are you sure it's his?" Shikamaru frowned. All the doors looked the same.

"Yeah. Some ass carved a dick on his door a few years back, see?" Naruto explained, pointing to the vulgar graffiti. "I asked about it, apparently after replacing the wood a few times and another dick ending up there, he gave up. Kinda shitty though, what he do to them? Probably nothing."

Shikamaru crouched before the keyhole and put a hand into the tie of his ponytail, withdrawing a thin bobby pin. It took longer than the boy was comfortable with to work the lock, but soon they all heard the satisfying clack of the lock sliding free. Naruto smacked him on the back.

"Awesome, Shikamaru."

"Yeah, well done," Choji praised as Shikamaru grabbed and twisted the door handle.

The door swung open to reveal a small one-roomed apartment that at first glance was incredibly bare. A bed sat against the wall covered in light grey sheets. It was impeccably made and Shikamaru briefly wondered if Itachi even used it or just fell asleep standing up like some creepy statue. Beside the bed was a nightstand upon which sat the photo Naruto had told them about and a leather-bound book that appeared to be on legendary weapons. Probably complete nonsense so why such a serious guy like Itachi had it was beyond Shikamaru.

A chair and desk was next to that, but was currently empty except for a lamp and that morning's newspaper, the puzzles' page open and half completed. Turning to the right hand wall was a standing fridge-freezer and a small kitchen area, which again was spotless, not even anything in the sink or draining board. The only other things of note were a dresser on the back wall by the door and a calendar hanging from a pin in the door itself with the previous days crossed off and no appointments that Shikamaru could see. He took a step over to the calendar and flipped through it, trying to see if there was any dates at all Itachi felt were significant. "It's blank," he told his companions, placing the calendar back on the door.

"At least there's food in his fridge. Maybe we'll learn something there?" suggested Choji.

"Hey, get out of the fridge, if you eat something, Itachi'll know. Believe it!" growled Naruto. Choji rolled his eyes and slammed the fridge shut and drew a pack of crisps from his bag, opening them and starting to munch on them instead.

"What a drag. Sensei's so boring. There is literally nothing here," Shikamaru frowned, opening Itachi's drawers. "He doesn't even wear interesting underpants."

"Boxers or briefs?" Naruto asked.

"Why do you care?"

"I don't, but you were looking."

"That makes no sense, Naruto."

Naruto glared and was about to say something else, only to be cut off by Choji. "Hey guys. I found something."

"Huh?"

Coming over, Shikamaru and Naruto joined Choji by Itachi's bed where Choji seemed to have found a hidden panel and pulled it aside to reveal a neatly folded pile of clothes, atop which lay a mask.

"What's this? A mask?" Naruto asked, reaching into the compartment without fear and taking the mask out, turning it in the light. Shikamaru felt the blood drain out of him as Naruto turned the porcelain mask this way and that. It was of some kind of animal with a painted red triangle on the top. "I think it's a weasel?"

Shikamaru stood up and took several steps back. "It doesn't matter what it is, put it back right now, Naruto. We gotta get out of here."

"Huh? Why?"

"It's an ANBU mask, Naruto," Choji said quietly.

"Wait what?" Naruto looked down at the mask. "So then… Itachi's in ANBU?"

"Probably. Maybe," Choji shrugged, also looking quite pale. "Shikamaru's right though. There's no way Itachi-sensei will be happy we found that. The ANBU are like Lord Hokage's personal assassins. We're so skrewed."

At 'assassins' Naruto startled and fumbled with the mask, trying to put it back in a hurry, Choji shoving the panel back just as sharply. "Oh fuck!" Like the frightened children they were, they scarpered, retreating out of the door and getting out of there as fast as possible once they had checked Itachi's door was once again locked.

* * *

They didn't talk about what they had found with Ino, unsure how to bring the topic up, nor did Choji or Shikamaru say anything at their solo practise. Fleetingly, they started to convince themselves Itachi had no idea they'd snuck into his home and found his uniform. Naruto had even made the suggestion it was fake, and while Shikamaru didn't totally believe it, the temptation was there.

Until Sunday, where Shikamaru and Choji were almost certain Itachi was trying to kill them.

They had turned up to team training at the regular time to find Itachi waiting under the same tree as usual, the older boy greeting them with a smile and a half wave.

"Hey, Sensei," Ino greeted tiredly, still sore from training the previous day. She had a couple of bandages on her arms, which wasn't unusual. Solo sessions usually meant sparing sessions, and Itachi often landed shallow cuts or weak blows on them, leaving small bruises.

Shikamaru grunted a greeting and Choji managed one around his morning snack, their excursion earlier in the week mostly forgotten as they now believed they were going to get away with it.

However, as Itachi pushed off from the tree and started to explain today's training, that fell into doubt.

"Good afternoon. I'd like to do things a little differently today. Choji, you'll be using your Human Boulder jutsu to try to catch me, Shikamaru, you'll be using your Shadow Paralysis jutsu on Ino and be negotiating a series of weapons thrown at you both by my Shadow Clone. Ideally, I'd like for Choji to catch me, causing the clone to cancel, but failing that, we'll stop when you both run out of chakra," Itachi explained, forming the hand sign for the Shadow Clone justu. A second Itachi appeared with a puff of smoke and was handed the weapons pouch of the original.

"Ino, Shikamaru, let's go," it ordered, walking away to the far end of the Training Ground.

The original turned to his final student. "Whenever you're ready, Choji,"

"Uh… o-okay," Choji fumbled, storing his crisps away before performing his own jutsu. "Expansion jutsu: Human Boulder!" He rolled towards his sensei who dodged to the side and did his best to keep up with him, as he often did in their team sessions. Usually though, Shikamaru was encouraged to catch Itachi as well with his Shadow Paralysis where Ino would use her Mind Transfer or move in to knock him out, something that rarely succeeded before they were out of chakra, and even then, Ino sometimes missed her mark and was 'killed' by a Shadow Clone. Personally, Choji just reckoned Itachi didn't want brain damage from being forcefully knocked out every week.

He was getting faster at turning and striking again, something his father Chozu had noticed, but it still didn't seem to be helping. No matter what Choji did, he couldn't catch Itachi. It was annoying, especially because Itachi would ask the same tasks of them over and over, regardless of whether they succeeded or failed. And as Naruto noted, they were the only graduating team this year _not_ doing missions.

Turning to strike again, Choji realised he'd gone wide only by Ino shrieking, "Not over here! Shikamaru, move before he kills me!"

"Sorry, Ino!" Choji apologized.

"Kinda hard to move with all these kunai!" Shikamaru griped, still busy deflecting the projectiles while trying to side step around Choji's trajectory.

They weren't doing particularly well either, Shikamaru sweating as he struggled to maintain the jutsu and focus on keeping Ino and himself out of danger. He could probably manage against a normal person, Shikamaru figured, but Itachi was particularly gifted at shuriken jutsu and often projectiles Shikamaru would deflect found their way back to him for round two.

"This is such a drag!" he growled, flicking another throwing star away with a kunai.

"You're telling me! I'm a fucking ragdoll!" Ino yelled back. "Shuriken to my left!"

"Damn it!" Turning his head, he spotted the danger and raised Ino's hand, kunai held tight, to block the attack. "How has he not run out yet?"

"I have two packs," the Shadow Clone shrugged. "Also, some are on wires, though I assume you've not noticed?"

"They are? Ahhhh!" Ino shrieked and Shikamaru barely rolled them out of the way in time. "Sensei, seriously, stop trying to kill us! I'm too young and pretty to die!"

Shikamaru slumped. "Maybe try saying that _without_ all the grass stains, cuts and bruises?"

"Shikamaru," Ino warned, her voice radiating danger. "When you run out of chakra, I'm going to throttle you."

Swallowing thickly, Shikamaru considered maybe it was safer to not talk until training was over.

* * *

They managed a whole hour before Choji was dizzy, nauseous and the rumbling of his stomach was starting to sound dangerous, and Shikamaru was a panting puddle of sweat, falling to the ground as his shadow returned to him. Ino didn't look much better, with so many near misses and no control over her body; she'd spent most of the time terrified out of her wits.

"Well done. I'm very impressed with you all today," Itachi praised, barely looking out of breath. The three gave him weary looks and watched as he closed the difference to loom over them, looking each in the eye. "Now tell me. Did you find what you were looking for in my home?"

"What?" Ino said, her face contorting in confusion. She saw both Choji and Shikamaru pale though. "Oh for pity's sake. _What did you two do_?!"

"H-how'd you know it was us?" Shikamaru asked.

"Besides the obvious admission just now? Crumbs. My floor was coated in crisp crumbs," Itachi said, looking from Shikamaru to Choji. "What were you looking for anyway?" he added with a tone that was somewhere between suspicious and curious.

"Not your ANBU mask, totally not that!"

"Choji!" Shikamaru berated. The larger boy hunched his shoulders.

Ino frowned. "ANBU mask? Why would Itachi-sensei have one of those?"

Itachi shrugged, not willing to answer one way or the other.

"We wanted to figure out why you don't let us go on missions. All the other graduating teams do," Shikamaru said. "But not us, we train and that's it. It's boring and we're getting sick of it."

"You mean you'd rather sit around and chase escaping cats or ward bears out of farmland?" Itachi asked, sounding genuinely curious. "D-Ranked missions are essentially anything a civilian could do but doesn't want to do because it would take too long and a ninja could do it in at least half the time. I would have thought you'd prefer training, that way you get to do what you want for most of the week."

"I mean, yeah, that's nice, but since I graduated, my parents have shrunk my allowance. They were gonna cancel it after my first mission," Choji admitted. Ino and Shikamaru made noises toward the same.

"When _are_ we going to do a mission if we can't do D-Ranks?" Ino asked.

"I never said you couldn't. I just didn't realise you were so eager to," Itachi admitted, hand on his hip. "I was going to take you on a C-Rank in a couple of weeks. Until you snuck into my home. Now I don't know that I trust you enough to take you out of the village on a mission."

Shikamaru and Choji's faces darkened in shame and Ino looked livid. "Seriously, why did you think that was a good idea?" she demanded.

"We're sorry, sensei," Choji mumbled. Shikamaru looked intently at the floor, lips pursed.

Sighing, Itachi scratched the side of his head. "Look. I'm sorry that I didn't notice how upset just training was making you, but I'm not committing to potentially putting us all in danger because we aren't on the same page. We'll do some D-Ranks next week. If, over the next few weeks, you can show me you're willing to trust my instructions even if you don't know the end goal, _and_ show great teamwork amongst yourselves, we can still get a C-Ranked in before your peers."

Ino stared up at Itachi for a long moment before breaking into a smile and jumping to her feet, "Seriously? Awesome!" She punched the air. "I'll rock these missions and become an awesome kunoichi all the hot boys want to date!" All three boys stared at her with varying degrees of concern.

"Yes… You're all dismissed." It was earlier than usual, but no one was complaining. Choji and Shikamaru took off towards their homes faster than usual, while Ino soon found her sensei following her into the village proper.

"Sensei?" she asked, turning her head to look at him.

"I apologise. I wasn't sure if you were involved in their plan, but assumed so," said Itachi, though he didn't suddenly leave after as Ino expected him to.

"Okay, but, did you have to follow me home to say that?"

Itachi's eyebrows drew closer together. "No?" He pointed to her family's flower shop. "I wanted some flowers."

"Oh." Ino blushed in embarrassment. Itachi either didn't care or didn't notice, sidestepping around her and heading inside. Darting in after her sensei, Ino found him beside some alstroemeria. "Uhm, Itachi-sensei, do you want some help?" she asked. "I'm very knowledgeable about flowers."

"I expect so," Itachi noted dully, looking over after a moment. "Very well. I'm looking for something not too expensive and only a few flowers per stem."

"What's the occasion? If you don't mind me asking," Ino added hurriedly.

Itachi was quiet for a moment, and Ino wondered if perhaps she had offended him. "They're for someone I haven't seen in a long time. A small well wish."

Ino's eyes widened for a moment as she processed that Itachi had answered her question and then what the actual content of that answer had been. "Uhm, okay. Well. There's this stock," she said, leading him over to a small lilac flower. "It symbolises bonds and a happy life." She tried to get a read on his opinion of that before deciding it might just be better to show him a selection of options and hope Itachi would find something he like within that.

"There's also statice, which stands for remembrance, sympathy and success. It also comes in a few different colours, so if that person has a colour they're fond of, that could be a good one. Next are these green roses, they're a little unusual, but can mean best wishes for a new life and good health. Peony's mean good health as well. And gladiolus also symbolise remembrance as well as faithfulness and honour."

Itachi nodded each time she lead him around to a flower and spoke about it. "Out of the gladiolus and statice, which would last longer?"

"Cut? Well, the gladiolus is more robust," Ino admitted. "But we cut all flowers fresh from gardens and bring them here daily. So it doesn't really matter. You'd probably get a week out of both."

"Could they work together as a bunch?"

"Uhm, yeah, they both can come in different colours, rather than shades, so I'd be inclined to have the gladiolus as the central flowers and the statice frame them," Ino noted. "Do you want me to show you?" He nodded and they spent several minutes discussing colour combinations as Ino took a few flowers and grouped them together for Itachi to see and assess.

Eventually, he had a bouquet he was satisfied with and Ino priced it up as her father was cutting flowers on the other side of the shop.

Once Itachi had paid for his flowers and left, Inoichi came over. "What did he want flowers for?"

"I dunno, Dad. Someone he hasn't seen in a while. Maybe an old friend or girlfriend?" she guessed.

"He's not dating anyone so far as I know," Inoichi revealed. As captain of the Intelligence Division and owner of the flower shop, Inoichi was a pretty solid stop on the gossip train, knowing much of the goings on of Konoha's population but generally not being interested enough to use that information for ill-gain.

Ino shrugged. "What _do_ you know about my sensei?" she asked. "You and Mum didn't seem too pleased when I told you who he was."

"He's a brilliant ninja, just weird is all. I'd been under the impression you were going to have someone else as your sensei," her father admitted.

"Who?"

"Well, my team was under a member of the Sarutobi clan. We figured your team would have a similar layout," Inoichi said with a shrug. "Uchiha usually go into the Police Force when they hit Chūnin, I don't think any of them became Jonin sensei."

"Maybe because Itachi-sensei is disowned?" Ino suggested.

Inoichi startled slightly, "He told you about that?"

"Yeah, but not the reason or anything. It came up because Sasuke seems to hate his guts."

"Ah, well. It isn't the sort of thing that comes up in polite conversation."

"Still," Ino frowned. "He must have done something really bad to have that reaction from his own brother. I didn't even know Sasuke _had_ a brother."

"It's not my story to tell, Ino," her father said firmly. "But I know there's never really been people Itachi has been close to. Nor is he particularly sociable."

"Yeah, I'm beginning to see that," Ino sighed. "Dad?"

"Hmm?"

"Is it true Itachi-sensei was in ANBU?"

Inoichi frowned. "How did you come across that idea?"

"Choji and Shikamaru said they found an ANBU mask in his apartment."

Her father was quiet a moment, considering the information and Ino wondered if he was going to reprimand her teammates. "He was," Inoichi confirmed. "He joined at age eleven. Though I would imagine your sensei would appreciate you not telling anyone. ANBU is a very secretive organisation and if that mask wasn't hidden away properly or destroyed, I think he was either using it as a deterrent or he's still active within ANBU ranks."

"Would you know either way?"

Inoichi shrugged, "It depends on his mission, but it's been a few years since we've crossed paths, so I can't be sure."

She nodded. "Well, he seems in an okay mood about us possibly knowing anyway. We're going on a mission next week."

"Aw, so does that mean I'll lose my favourite helper?" Inoichi asked in mock hurt.

Ino laughed. "Nah, Dad. They're just D-Ranks for now. Apparently he wanted us to go on a C-Rank but he's changed his mind. So I still need my shifts to make up for shopping sprees."

Inoichi shared a chuckle and gestured with his thumb to the aprons hanging up. "Well, since you're home early why don't you stay a couple of hours and I'll give you some spending money before the market closes?"

"Sweet!"


	3. Chapter 2: Assessment

This one took a while. I've read it over several times, changed sections, rewritten the same scene a few times and I think it makes sense? It's not massively plot heavy, but hey. We'll get there.

* * *

"Three break-ins in almost as many months. I'm beginning to think I might as well leave the door open," Itachi stated blandly, shutting his apartment door and pulling some dango out of the fridge.

"Well, you're not exactly trying very hard to keep people out," his uninvited guest noted from where he was examining the flowers Itachi had bought a few hours earlier. "Who else broke in?"

"Hatake Kakashi the other month and my students earlier this week. Do you want some tea, Shisui?" Itachi asked, moving to put the kettle on.

"Sure. And seriously? Your Genin kids broke in?" his cousin chuckled. "These are nice," he added, pulling some of the flowers free.

"The flowers?" Itachi turned to glance at his cousin and sighed. "They were for Mother. It's her birthday soon."

"Oh." They both glanced at the flowers in Shisui's lap. The man was tactile and generally had permission to help himself to Itachi's possessions, though Itachi felt a flicker of annoyance at the twisted collection of flowers in Shisui's hands. "Uhm… do you think she'd appreciate a flower crown?" Shisui tried. "If not, I'm happy to replace them. I should have known."

Itachi waved a hand. "It's fine. I wouldn't have been able to get them to her anyway. I probably shouldn't have bought them."

"She's forty this year though right? Is that why you got them?" Itachi nodded. "I can let her know, you know, that you're thinking of her?"

"Thanks." He turned away a moment to pour their drinks, then returned to Shisui, holding his drink out to Shisui's left. "You might as well finish what you started. It doesn't look that bad."

"I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not," Shisui replied ruefully, taking the tea and putting it on Itachi's bedside table as his cousin joined him on the bed, the box of dango between them. Ever since Danzo had stolen his eye, Shisui had hidden the wound under an illusion, and though he had spent the last five years coping with the injury, Itachi was always careful to keep movement away from Shisui's blind side. Not because he thought his cousin couldn't cope, but to give him a break. No one was ever around when the two met anyway, the meetings secret to keep up the appearance of Itachi being hated by his clan, rather than in semi-regular contact with it.

Itachi shrugged. "How are they? Mother and Father?"

"Good. Your mother is thinking of going back to active ninja work now that Sasuke's graduated, and your father is generally well. A few members retired from the Police Force, so work's been piling up, but I get the bulk of the deskwork, so that's been helping." He looked down at the sweet treat and glanced at Itachi, who waved his hand at Shisui. "Thanks," he hummed, taking a stick of dango and chewing on the first ball as he went back to the flowers. "Sasuke's been offered shifts at the Police Station. Nothing overly strenuous and he's still a bit iffy with me, so I'm not sure how that'll go."

Itachi pursed his lips. He hadn't asked about Sasuke, but Shisui knew he would want to know anyway, which made Itachi glad he had such a good friend. Even if Sasuke didn't appreciate either of them anymore.

"Izumi's also finished her training as a medic ninja."

Itachi raised an eyebrow. "Okay?"

"Just thought you should know. In case you get your ass kicked, you can go see her at the hospital?" Shisui suggested. "That and I figured since you have that picture of her you ought to keep up with her news."

"But you know that isn't the reason I have it, therefore there's no reason to tell me. I'd find out eventually if I end up in the hospital with a severe injury," Itachi pointed out confused by the strange comment. He took a stick of dango of his own and leaned back against the wall, wondering if his cousin was more just passing along the achievement because Izumi had asked him to. It would make sense. "So, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"

Shisui arched an eyebrow. "You mean I have to have a reason to come here?"

"No, but you obviously do." He bit off a ball of dango and looked to Shisui expectantly.

Dango stick between his teeth, Shisui shifted to retrieve a small box from his back pouch and offered it to Itachi. "I wanted to give you this before your birthday. I know it's a couple of weeks away, but Lord Hokage is sending me on a mission in the morning and I didn't want to deliver it late. Happy early eighteenth."

Brows drawing together curiously, Itachi reached out and took the box, "Should I open it?" Shisui nodded and Itachi finished his dango, dropping the empty stick back in the box carelessly before opening his gift and pulling out the necklace that lay inside.

Three metal rings were linked by a slim close-knit metal chain and reminded Itachi vaguely of magatama or the three tomoe in a fully awakened Sharingan. He held it up and turned it gently, letting the metal glint in the light. "Not very subtle."

"You wound me. I thought you'd like it," said Shisui smiling, "And I'm not asking you to parade it around. You can hide it under your flack jacket. I just thought it'd suit you."

"What's it made of?"

"Wolfram. It's strong not overly magnetic either, so it shouldn't cause problems on missions," Shisui answered with a soft smile, reaching for his tea. "Changing your mind?"

"I never said I didn't like it," Itachi pointed out staring at the necklace for a moment longer before undoing the clasp and putting it on. "Better?"

"Much. The colour brings out your eyes," Shisui grinned, teasing.

"Shisui," Itachi said in warning making his friend laugh.

Shisui waved his hand apologetically, "Alright, but I was right, it looks good."

Itachi cocked a small smile too and shook his head. "Thank you. I would have been happy enough with a training session though. It's just not the same on my own."

"Nah, it's not," Shisui nodded. "I miss it too though, so I'll try sneak away sometime. But I can't guarantee anything." Which meant it was probably never going to happen.

All the same, Itachi pretended like it could work. "Training Field Two. You've more chance of sneaking into the village than I of sneaking into the Uchiha Training Fields."

"In case Sasuke spots you? I'm sorry he doesn't know the truth," Shisui said sympathetically.

"I'm not. If he knew he'd probably hate the village, even though this whole thing was my idea. This is the better way. I don't care if he hates me, so long as he's safe."

Finishing his drink, Shisui got up. "Well, anyway. I'll hopefully see you around. And I'll try explain my mess up to your mother." He held up the flower crown, which looked more like a wreath.

"Just make sure she understands I had a bouquet and _you_ did that." Itachi smiled, "Bye, Shisui." His cousin gave him a wave and flickered away out the window, leaving Itachi alone once again.

* * *

Stretching his arms above his head and feeling a satisfying crack in his back, Itachi waited for his team at the entrance to the Hokage tower. Since this was their first mission, they were to be offered it by Lord Hokage, as was tradition. It did mean though that he had to wait and observe the people of the village as they went by, unable to sit on the Hokage's windowsill to be addressed as most ANBU would.

Itachi actually quite liked watching the people of the village go about their daily lives. From high above, where he didn't have to see the disapproving looks of adults who thought him a danger. Hear them warning their children to be wary of him.

Here on the ground though, he could spot the occasional Uchiha officer in their Police uniform talking and joking with some of the village merchants. It pleased him to see his family redeemed, even at the cost to achieve it. When Itachi had left the clan, Fugaku had urged the rest of their family to take the chance they were given and attempt to reintegrate into the community following the backlash towards Itachi. Some had been more successful than others and anyone who wasn't willing to put in the effort risked being branded possible traitors to the village and handed over to the Hokage and ANBU.

It was harsh but effective. The only resistance met was Yashiro, an elder member of the clan, and Fugaku's most trusted advisor. Itachi didn't know the whole story, but the fallout of a meeting between his father and Yashiro ended up with Yashiro taking retirement and Fukagu showing more humility than Itachi thought his father capable of. He apologised to the Hokage and was actively trying to make this new situation work. All while still finding time to train Sasuke.

Eventually though, he caught sight of his three Genin; Choji and Shikamaru pausing at a merchant, presumably to buy more crisps for Choji, and Ino accompanied by her father, heading straight for him.

"Hello, Ino, Lord Inoichi," Itachi greeted once the pair stopped.

"Sorry I'm late, Sensei. Dad wanted to walk with me since we have the same destination," Ino excused, frowning. "Where are Choji and Shikamaru?"

Itachi pointed down the street. "They'll be along in a minute, I don't mind the wait."

Inoichi nodded at Itachi, eyes sharp. "Itachi-sensei."

"Lord Inoichi?" Itachi asked, hissing in his mind, _out_. He couldn't feel the Yamanaka in his mind, but it was always better to cover his bases. _This is just a basic mission within the confines of the village. Nothing is going to happen._

_See that it doesn't_, Inoichi's voice rumbled inside his mind.

"Sorry, Ino, I'm getting late too, enjoy your mission," Inoichi said aloud, smiling at his daughter before heading into the Hokage Tower, presumably to his office in the Intelligence Division.

Itachi watched him go before turning to find a pouting Ino. "What'd he say to you?"

"You knew?"

"Of course. He said he wanted to say hi, but Dad doesn't just say hi to people. What'd he want?"

"He just said to look after you. It's fine," Itachi assured. "You won't be getting hurt any more than you are in training and I find the sentiment rather sweet."

Ino blushed and gritted her teeth. "No way, it's embarrassing!"

Holding back laughter, Itachi was spared having to reply when the rest of their team joined them. "Good morning, Choji, Shikamaru. If you're all ready, we can head up and take a mission."

The three nodded and much to Itachi's surprise, Choji didn't open a bag of crisps along the way or even as they were invited into the Hokage's Office.

"Ah, Team Ten. I was beginning to wonder when you would finally come here," the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, greeted, smiling at them in a grandfatherly manner.

Itachi bowed, flushing slightly, "My apologies, Lord Hokage. I wanted to get a feel for my students before accepting missions with them. We're here now."

"So you are." The Hokage looked down at a scroll half open on his desk. "I'd like you to clear out a panda infestation in Chozama Ikiru's farm on the Western border. He's reported that they are destroying his bamboo crop but requests the animals not be harmed." Rolling up the scroll, the Hokage held it out for one of Team Ten to take. "All the information you need is in here, please return when you have finished and report to me to receive payment."

Taking the scroll, Itachi bowed, "Yes, Lord Hokage." His team quickly followed suit, copying his bow and reply.

The Hokage sent them off with a smile and Itachi lead the way back into the village proper. Within an hour they were at the mission site, checking equipment and receiving wireless communication equipment from Itachi, who checked the fit on each of the preteens before nodding.

"So, are you all content with the plan?" Itachi asked them.

"Split off throughout the farm land and find out how many pandas we're dealing with," Shikamaru nodded.

"Once the recon's done, we want to herd them out towards the forest," Choji continued.

"Then we do regular perimeter checks while the fence keeping the pandas out is replaced," finished Ino.

"All the while keeping regular contact," Itachi nodded. He took a moment to show them how the wireless worked before allowing them to go off on their own, finding a vantage point where he could keep an eye on the situation, although really it was a very simple mission he was overcomplicating for the sake of getting them used to mission mechanics.

On real missions, Itachi couldn't be everywhere at once, so wirelesses were important to keep track of his team, as well as have them aware of each other's positions. Planning was also important, and Itachi found it confusing that Ino regularly took charge of them when he had the group working as a three instead of Shikamaru, who only seemed interested in leading when the situation turned dire. Like himself, Shikamaru was more than able to think several steps ahead but had taken up the path of least resistance by letting the more headstrong Ino take point. It wasn't a problem, Ino was a relatively good leader, and seemed to be improving little by little; whether it be by asking Shikamaru for an opinion or simply being less forward in her tactics. Because while Itachi had made every effort to increase their hand-to-hand combat and reflexes, they were, by all accounts, a defensive, information gathering team. Not front line fighters.

Itachi glanced over to the western flank as Choji barrelled out towards the first panda that had been spotted, causing it to run towards the forest and its three companions, which were being guided by carefully thrown shuriken and kunai on wires by Shikamaru and Ino so they could be removed before Choji rolled through.

"Good job," he praised, speaking for the first time on the channel. "You're herding them nicely. Forest edge in twenty metres, Choji." Affirmations rang back to him and Itachi watched as Choji bounced while deactivating his jutsu. Flipping mid-air, he landed rather stylishly and watched with the rest of his team as the pandas fled back to the forest where they belonged.

"Nice moves, Choji!" Ino praised. "I totally thought you were cool for a second there."

"Sh-shut up, Ino!"

Itachi lept down to his team, ignoring Choji's blush, gesturing them over to him with a wave of his hand. "That's the first part down. And the most exciting part," he admitted. "I've sent a Shadow Clone to alert the farmer. Next is a lengthy wait while the fence is replaced. I think the pandas are probably spooked enough so as not to return, but it's part of the mission so…" he drifted off with a shrug.

"I can see why you don't like D-Ranks, Sensei" Shikamaru noted on the comms a few hours later. "This is the biggest drag."

"It's not that I don't like them, I did many when I was a Genin like you, but they aren't very representative of ninja life," said Itachi.

"And they're boring," Ino put in.

"How many have you done, Sensei?" Choji asked.

"Fifty-three."

"WHAT?!" Ino and Choji screeched down the line, making Itachi blink harshly while taking a sharp intake of breath.

"You sat around for days at a time doing missions like this?" Shikamaru asked at a much more reasonable volume.

Since they couldn't see him shrug, Itachi responded. "It wasn't so bad. I got to have dango for lunch every time we did."

"Still. Fifty-three?" Ino balked. "You're not going to make _us_ do fifty-three right?" she half-begged.

"Oh no. I had to do so many because my Jonin sensei refused to put me in for the Chūnin exams," Itachi comforted. "If you three keep performing as you have we can progress at a more normal pace."

Ino hummed, "How long do you think that'll take?"

"As long as it takes," Itachi chastised. "With any luck, we'll only be here for another hour, then we'll go collect our pay and you'll be free for the rest of the day."

"Well, that's something at least," Choji noted, voice muffled in the way it usually was when he was eating. He must have opened another bag of crisps.

* * *

It actually took two further hours to confirm the fence was up and stable, but after that, they were able to get to the Hokage Tower and give their report in good time. Ino left for her family's shop, while Choji and Shikamaru went to find somewhere to spend their meagre mission reward.

Itachi meanwhile decided to go train. He had tactics to consider and drills to complete to keep his reflexes up.

As he twirled around in the air, throwing kunai and listening to the series of dull thunks as they sank into targets spread out around the training field, Itachi tried to assess his team against an average Genin team. He himself had graduated at eight, and somehow had been far more adept than the rest of his squad. His father had put it down to Itachi being a prodigy but Itachi wasn't sure that was the case. There was simply an expectation of him and Itachi had worked until that expectation was met. Anything else was for his own benefit.

"Itachi-sensei," called out a voice. He'd felt the charkra approach, but as it had made itself obvious and unthreatening, Itachi had simply assumed the owner was passing by. Clearly he was wrong.

Landing in a crouch, Itachi stood and looked around until he found the owner up on a tree branch.

"Ah. Kakashi."

"Kakashi-_sensei_," Kakashi emphasised. "I thought I told you that."

"You did. I can't say I care for honorifics though," Itachi shrugged. "I didn't think you did either, or are you starting to feel special, having the Fourth's legacy and the heir to the Uchiha clan under your care?"

Kakashi's visible eye narrowed. "Truth be told, no, I don't. Though if I had to pick a child to be prouder of, it would be Naruto. He has a lot of his parents in him."

"He does," Itachi conceded. "Though he's misinterpreting what it means to become Hokage."

"Ah, he feed you that line too. About being recognised by everyone?"

"Yes, very loudly. Followed by ramen spittle."

Kakashi snorted at that and jumped down to join Itachi in the clearing. "Well. That must mean you still have some social skills buried under that… Uchiha-ness. Care to join Kurenai-sensei and I for a drink?"

"I'm not legal," Itachi noted dryly.

Kakashi scratched the side of his face. "Well… have juice then. Or water." Itachi narrowed his eyes and Kakashi continued, "We're the only three to have passing teams, so Kurenai suggested getting to properly know one another. I don't think it's a terrible idea."

"No," Itachi said after a beat. "I suppose it isn't." Sighing, he looked around at his kunai. "Let me pick these up and we can go."

"Alright," Kakashi said happily, his eye crinkling in a way that suggested he was smiling beneath the mask.

Despite deliberately taking his time, Itachi could only stall for so long before reluctantly following Kakashi back into the village and into Shushu-ya, where they found Yuhi Kurenai already seated in a booth.

"Ah, Itachi-sensei," the woman greeted pleasantly. "Thank you for joining us."

"Thank you for inviting me," he replied with the same courtesy long clan meetings had taught him. He had rather wished that being disowned meant less pretending to be polite to people, but somehow the reality didn't match. It wasn't that he didn't like the red eyed ninja, he didn't know her well enough to have an opinion of her, but he also didn't want to be there with her and Kakashi.

Still. It wasn't like he had anything to lose by coming. And if he ended up on a mission with either Jonin and their Genin teams, it was probably best they were at least on cordial terms.

He slid into the booth and raised an eyebrow as Kakashi slid in next to him. He really wasn't used to people sitting next to him in public places.

If Kakashi noticed Itachi's surprise, he ignored it, more intent on waving down a server. "Sake please."

"And yakitori," Itachi added, remembering the skewers here were particularly good.

"Enough of each for the table please," said Kurenai.

The server nodded, her gaze lingering unfavourably on Itachi a moment before going to fetch their order. Putting one elbow on the table, Itachi rested his head against his fist. "So, we're the only Jonin leaders this year?" he started weakly, trying to figure out if there was anything more to this meeting.

"That's right. I'm sensei to Hyuuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba and Aburame Shino," Kurenai confirmed. "I heard you have the Yamanaka, Nara and Akamichi heirs?" Itachi nodded.

"Not much of a talker, huh?" Kakashi noted.

Itachi rolled his eyes, but didn't comment.

"How are you finding being a sensei, Itachi-sensei?" Kurenai asked.

"Just Itachi, please. And I suppose it's alright," he shrugged. "They seem to work well together."

"I heard you only went on your first mission today," Kakashi said, "Want to explain why?"

Itachi's eyes narrowed. "I didn't realise it was a crime to want to train with my team before performing missions."

"It's not," Kurenai assured, "Just odd. It's been a month after all. You don't want them falling behind."

"Behind?" Itachi regarded her with a frown. "They're fine," he insisted, resisting a childish urge to suggest his team was probably more organised than either of theirs.

Their drink arrived and while Itachi saw a third cup, he pointedly ignored it. Being related to every police officer in the village, it wasn't worth tempting fate and ending up in Konoha's cells because his clansmen felt obliged to enforce the law. Because they would. They all knew exactly how old he was and ninja or not, seventeen was too young to drink alcohol. Even if Shisui had half-forced Itachi to share a bottle of sake with him on Shisui's twentieth birthday.

"Maybe, but they certainly lack practical experience," Kakashi stated, pouring himself and Kurenai a drink and turning the third cup, Itachi's, upside down so servers would know it wasn't being used.

"They'll be fine," Itachi assured. "I intend to do at least one mission a week from now on and their training is going well enough I'd be happy to put them forward for Chūnin during the next exam registration."

"You would? Registration is awfully close," Kurenai pointed out.

"Of course. Are you intending to hold your teams back?" Itachi queried.

Kurenai shook her head. "No."

"Maybe," Kakashi hummed. At Itachi and Kurenai's curious looks, he explained. "My team… are a little lacking in the fundamentals. Individually they have skills, but Sakura is noticeably behind her peers in ninjutsu knowledge and skill and Sasuke and Naruto don't appear to have a co-operative bone in their bodies unless I threaten to send them back to the academy."

While that wasn't much of a surprise to Itachi, he and his brother had been raised to be very independent, both in home life and in in battle, he was upset to hear Sasuke wasn't succeeding as well as he'd hoped.

"What about having those two teach Sakura a jutsu or two?" Kurenai suggested. "It could be team building, and either way, Sakura has the opportunity to expand her repertoire."

Kakashi hummed and looked up in thought as their yakitori arrived. "Well. Perhaps. Naruto would be all too willing to show her his Shadow Clone jutsu. But I can't see Sasuke showing her any Fire Style."

"What about your team, Kurenai-sensei?" Itachi asked as he took a skewer, wondering if this was the point of their meeting. "Are they doing well?"

Kurenai nodded, "They're all very capable. Hinata is shy, so I'm working on that, but she already has access to her Byakugan. Kiba… is closer to his dog than either of his teammates, but that's not exactly a problem, and Shino is a bit of a loner. They get along well, it's just you can tell they weren't friends before-hand."

Playing with the tip of the skewer in his mouth, Itachi noted these were minor, surface complaints at most. It sounded more like he was at a parental meeting with them all having somehow escaped their children.

"And you, Itachi?" Kurenai asked with a tilt of her head, drawing Itachi out of his thoughts.

It occurred to him that while his team had issues, they were half caused by Itachi's overly high expectations and half by his inexperience in teaching. Which arguably meant the only person there was a problem with was himself, and Itachi had a vague idea about how to fix that.

"Choji and Shikamaru have good camaraderie, they work well with Ino," he started. "Ino's leadership skills are improving with Shikamaru's aid. He's the better leader, but only takes point when the situation forces him to. Choji is obsessed with crisps beyond any hope of stealth, but fulfils his part well in the Ino-Shika-Cho layout. His speed and mobility are great and his comrades are increasing their dexterity and charka reserves to better secure targets." Itachi nodded. "All in all, I'm proud of their growth. Missions with them should be very successful."

He hadn't been looking anywhere in particular when he had spoken, but noticing that his words were followed by silence, he turned to see Kurenai and Kakashi looking at him in shock.

Kakashi blinked. "I've never heard you talk so much."

Itachi shrugged. "I've been thinking on it a while. I've built up their individual skills, and together they work extremely well. But I'm aware I don't really know them well as people. Do you think it would be odd to spend more time with them?" he asked, genuinely unsure. He wasn't the most social of people in general, and the few times he had spent time with teammates outside of missions had felt decidedly awkward, either because Itachi wasn't interested in the lines of conversation or because his companions enjoyed seeing how much they could drink before they decided they could see chakra. Or fairies.

"I mean… I suppose not?" Kakashi said, looking to Kurenai for assurance.

"It's probably a good thing," she agreed. "There's certainly nothing wrong with having a good knowledge of your team beyond their skills."

Itachi nodded, decision made.

* * *

Side-note. I don't mean for Kakashi and Itachi to be such dicks to each other. It's just... happening.


	4. Chapter 3: Teamwork

Hey all, sorry for the massive gap in updates - but at least another one is out?

I'm trying to do NaNoWriMo with this in mind, so hopefully you'll all get many more chapters soon!

* * *

Flopping onto the floor panting and sweating, Shikamaru looked up at the sky. It seemed pretty nice out. The clouds were lazily drifting across the sky. Teasing him with their calm. He'd much rather be on a roof somewhere watching them go by, and maybe having a nap.

"Shikamaru, once more."

Instead, he groaned, working into a sitting position. He was stuck in solo training with his sensei, working his ass off for relatively little praise. Not that he was looking for it.

"Can't we do something else, Sensei?" Shikamaru tried. "I'm exhausted."

Itachi paused, stood above him hardly breaking a sweat. "Like what?"

Momentarily caught off guard, Shikamaru gave his answer some thought. Do nothing would be a bad answer, so… second to that… "Shogi?" he tried.

"Sure. I don't have a set of my own though," Itachi shrugged. "Do you?"

Shikamaru blinked owlishly. Was Itachi serious? "Uh, no, but… I play with my Dad a lot at home, we can just use that set."

Itachi put his hands in his pocket. "Alright. Lead the way."

Even as they walked through the village into the Nara District, Shikamaru was still waiting for the trick. This was… weird. Itachi-sensei had never expressed an interest in anything other than training and that one time he bought flowers from Ino's shop.

They actually got all the way to Shikamaru's house before anyone spoke, and that was because Shikamaru's father, Shikaku, opened the door as Shikamaru tried to open it himself. He and Shikamaru were spitting images of each other about 20 years apart, though Shikaku donned a deer skinned vest over his flack jacket and bore a scar over his right cheek and forehead.

"Oh, Shikamaru… and Uchiha Itachi," Shikaku hummed. "Should I assume my son is in trouble, Sensei?"

"D-Dad!" Shikamaru balked, turning to see Itachi's reaction in horror.

"Oh no, Lord Shikaku," Itachi assured. "Shikamaru just suggested that our training time might be better utilised by testing his tactical skills in a few rounds of Shogi."

Shikaku was still for a moment before scoffing. "Shikamaru. Here's 20,000 Ryo," he said, reaching into his pocket and handing several notes to his confused son, "Give it to Itachi-sensei if he beats you."

"You seem really confident in Shikamaru's ability," Itachi noted.

"Of course. I've played you both on separate occasions. Shikamaru will have you in check before you've realised you can't escape," Shikaku assured. "Anyway, I have to get going. Have fun, help yourself to the fridge." He sidestepped the two and waved a hand in farewell.

"What… the heck..?" Shikamaru blinked, staring after his father with wide eyes.

"Hmm. Interesting," Itachi mused, also looking at Shikaku's back before the man body flickered away. "Are you going to invite me in?"

"Wha-? Uh, yeah. Come on." Flushing Shikamaru made his way inside, removing his sandals and waiting for Itachi to follow suit before leading the way into his home. There were no guest slippers, but Itachi didn't comment and Shikamaru let them along the wooden engawa running the edge of Shikamaru's home. "Dad keeps the Shogi set in the living room. Are you bothered about playing out here on the en?"

"Hmm? No, outside is fine. You have an amazing view," Itachi praised, catching sight of a couple of deer. The Nara's various houses were built near the forests of Konoha, and Shikamaru's being the main household held the best spot for viewing the more tame wildlife in the forest.

Shikamaru frowned, Shogi set in his arms. "I guess. Mostly it's just a drag when an elk wanders off with someone's laundry." He set the board down and opened up two compartments, beginning to set the pieces. "Do you want to go first?"

"I don't mind. We can flip a coin if you like?"

"Urgh, no, that's effort. You can go first." Shikamaru waved a hand dismissively. After a few minutes, he spoke up again. "Whenever you're ready, sensei."

Looking away from the forest to the board, Itachi nodded and slipped to his knees, surveying the board and Shikamaru for a moment before making his opening move, the pieces clacking on the board as he and Shikamaru moved them.

It wasn't until several minutes in that there was a pause as Shikamaru surveyed the board. His hands fell into his lap, cupped and fingertips touching and his eyes closed. Itachi watched patiently, presumably used to people taking their time. Shogi was a relatively slow game after all. Shikamaru was in a bad place on the board. Itachi had taken both rooks and had set his sights on the bishop, intending to bait out Shikamaru's silver general.

He'd been playing defensively before, getting a feel for Itachi's strategy and play style. Any thoughts Itachi might have had about Shikamaru's inexperience likely washed away at the focused, expressionless look Shikamaru had on his face once his deliberation was over. It was simple. The next ten moves were planned and predicted.

Within three moves, Shikamaru had sidestepped Itachi's flank assault and promoted his lance and bishop making Itachi's answers more difficult. Still, it almost seemed like Itachi was now holding back. His fingers hesitated over pieces before moving others instead. The assault of the board from Itachi's side never got as aggressive as Shikamaru predicted it should. Not that it mattered. Shikamaru was going to win.

And win he did, in another five moves.

"You threw that match," Shikamaru noted impassively.

"You'd won a good ten moves previous. I lost the moment you got a dragon horse behind my lines."

Shikamaru blinked and shrugged a shoulder. "You could have scooped you know."

"No, it's fine. I wasn't sure if your focus would last," Itachi answered with an absent air. "And anyway, I'm your sensei. It would be bad if I was a sore loser. Another game?"

"… Sure," Shikamaru replied slowly. They both reached out to reset the pieces.

"That thing you were doing with your hands," Itachi started slowly. "It's not a traditional hand sign…"

"Hmm? Nah, it's just a thing I do sometimes, helps me focus," Shikamaru explained. "Dad says the best way to prepare is to think several steps ahead. I mean, he's not wrong. I can win most Shogi games that aren't against him. But that's 'cause he's thinking further ahead than me."

"It's good advice for ninja as well," Itachi reasoned, opening the game again. "Being ahead of your opponent or target is the best way to minimalize casualties. You can find openings in their guard to slip your teammates through or learn their behaviours and anticipate what to say to get a necessary reaction. Rile them up and take advantage of blind rage for example."

"Yeah, but you have to assess the risks that go with risky moves like that," Shikamaru replied, "like what if they're bluffing?"

The tiles clacked between them and even while talking, Shikamaru was able to stay ahead of Itachi. Match after match they played, Itachi trying various strategies against Shikamaru, backing the boy into a corner he barely managed to escape before starting his own assault.

It was late into the evening before they were disturbed. "Are you two still playing?" Came the voice of Shikaku. "Can't take losing, Itachi-sensei?"

"Actually, he's won a few," Shikamaru commented, frowning at the horrible board layout. His rook could _maybe_ back up the lance if he played the next four turns right, but Itachi's focus looked to be twisting to his bishops. Frowning, he moved the gold general out of range and tried to direct Itachi to where he wanted him on the board.

"But my money's still on the table," Shikaku noted, sitting between his son and Itachi.

"Honestly, I'd forgotten you'd bet," Itachi mumbled, finger to his lips as he thought about his next moves. "Besides, I've still lost more than I've won, you can keep it."

Playing against his sensei was harder than expected, a massive mental workout. But it was fun in a way, Shikamaru mused as Itachi pressed his advantage on the left flank. Playing someone on a similar level rather than being soundly defeated by his father every game. The board clacking was the only noise for several moments before Shikaku announced, "You've lost, Shikamaru."

"Have not."

"Sure you have. In two turns, that play with your lance and bishop you're going for is gonna be waylaid. Itachi'll step his silver general back and his dragon horse will swoop in."

"It was going for my knight though-"

"It really wasn't," Itachi agreed. "You've noticed by now I lean on diversionary tactics and red-herrings yes? Well that's exactly what I'm going for here."

"You've played practically every strategy in Shogi there is," Shikamaru argued.

"Yes, but this is… for a lack of better term, the 'real me'. I'm familiar with most if not all strategies, particularly your defensive one, but this is generally how I play the game. Systematically dragging you closer and looking like I intend to challenge your defence when really I want to take your attackers." It wasn't a terrible play style, but it relied on Itachi's ability to conceal his intentions perfectly. Every little movement in Shogi gave something away and that Shikamaru couldn't see through it was both annoying and showed off just how solid Itachi's poker face was.

Looking at the board for long moments, Shikamaru eventually huffed. "Damnit, what a drag. Dad's right, you had me. Fuck."

Itachi smiled, "I used to play with a friend. He liked adding genjutsu to the mix. It's genuinely the worst sitting there and trying to figure out which pieces are in the right place or even real, let alone forming strategies."

"As much as I wouldn't mind doing this again sometime, I can't think of anything worse than having to constantly mess with my chakra flow while thinking about my next moves," Shikamaru admitted.

"Oh yes, it's awful," Itachi agreed with a smile, slowly getting to his feet. "It's nice getting a challenge out of someone normally."

"Do you still play with that friend?" Shikamaru asked.

"No," Itachi replied, his smile not faltering. "He's an Uchiha. I don't even say hello to them in the street. Anyway, I've obviously taken up a lot of your time. I'll be going. Thank you for your hospitality, Shikamaru, Lord Shikaku."

Stunned by the answer, Shikamaru sat there in silence as Shikaku offered a polite reply and Itachi let himself out.

"He… doesn't even say hello in the street?"

"I suppose to him, he still feels betrayed by his clan," Shikaku shrugged. "He's a dangerous man, your sensei. But so long as he toes the line, I've no problem with him coming here to play Shogi or training you. Choza and Inoichi are of the same opinion," Shikaku disclosed, shifting to take Itachi's place and setting the pieces up. "He's also quite the enigma."

"Yeah… I'm beginning to see that…" Shikamaru looked down in his lap in thought. "Why was he kicked out of his clan?"

"He proposed treason," Shikaku shrugged. "It was reported to Lord Hokage, who chose to give Itachi a second chance. He was taken off active duty for a fair bit though. I don't doubt the two are related."

"Do you think making him a Genin sensei is a test?"

"From Lord Hokage? It wouldn't surprise me," Shikaku shrugged again. "Uchiha Fugaku's been easier to deal with since Itachi left his clan though, so it's hard to say where my opinion on the matter lies. On the one hand, stuff was obviously going on at the time, but none of the Uchiha are willing to talk about it, and on the other, they're much more positive people since that time that it kinda makes you forget there was ever tension."

"Tension?"

"Yeah, a little after the demon fox attack, the village elders moved the clan districts around some. The Uchiha bitched for weeks about it, even though they got a bunch of land and private training grounds. And around the same time, Itachi passed the Genin exam within six months of entering the academy."

"T-that's insane."

"No, insane is the fact he started sending a shadow clone to his lessons at six years old. It's fucking creepy how adept he is. It's like he was born to be a ninja, and his body doesn't know how to do anything else," Shikaku reflected.

Shikamaru frowned. "Where's his affinity?"

"Anything really. He was classed as a ninjustu type with fire affinity, but he had perfect scores across the board and won matches in the Chuunin exam purely through using genjutsu. The only possible criticism I have is that a lot of the jutsu he uses are flashy and waste a lot of chakra if he doesn't land a hit, so I doubt he has amazing stamina. He's fast though."

"Yeah, tell me about it. Most days I can't even graze him in training unless he lets it happen. Which sucks because he's been focusing on combat until literally today."

"You sound angry at that?"

"It's a drag. I hate all that fighting and he knows it."

Shikaku scratched his chin. Then lent forward and threw a punch at Shikamaru, who raised an arm before turning his head to stare at their locked limbs. "Dad-!"

"He's working muscle memory into you. It's not a bad tactic, but I suppose he must think it's time to lay off and try get that old-man brain of yours working," Shikaku teased, pulling back and settling back down. "His methods are… odd. But I can't say I disapprove."

Shikamaru huffed and looked to the clouds. "I don't think Ino's dad thinks the same. She mentioned he went ballistic the first mission we had."

"Inoichi's just protective," Shikaku dismissed. "He doesn't want his little girl to grow up. It's hilarious," he added with a smirk, "he'll get over it soon. Especially if Itachi puts you all in for Chuunin exams."

"They're soon?" He'd heard about them. A nationwide series of ninja tests that moved host village every six months. It was good for networking ties with the other ninja villages. "They must be in Konoha then, I can't see anyone signing off on fresh out of the academy teams travelling to a foreign country for the Chuunin exam."

"Right on both counts, Shikamaru," his father nodded. "Less than a couple of months from now. We're starting prep but so far not a huge number of teams from other countries have applied. Generally the host nation makes up most of their numbers as it's a quick way to promote large numbers of able ninja at once."

"Still… do you think we could make Chuunin?" Shikamaru frowned.

Shikaku returned the gesture. "Hell if I know. If you'd asked me a month ago, I'd have said absolutely not. But now? Eh, you're actually training, which is more than I expected. I figured you and Choji would be blowing your sensei off and hitting a barbeque joint, yet three times a week you go out early and come back all scuffed up and exhausted. I'm impressed, but I don't know that it'll make you Chuunin."

* * *

"You too huh?" Choji noted around a mouthful of food as Shikamaru told them about his now semi-regular Shogi matches with Itachi.

He and Shikamaru were in a barbeque restaurant following group training, and for once, Ino had joined them, though Itachi had opted to go home. Or perhaps run some errands, he hadn't been overly clear. Not that Shikamaru was interested. "What do you mean, me too, Choji?"

"Sensei took me out for lunch a couple of times," Choji explained. "We talked about different chip flavours and what the Ino-Shika-Cho formation is."

"You mean that thing our dads did?" Ino blinked, then looked fearful. "We… don't have to do that do we?"

"I mean… probably? Isn't that what we basically do on team days anyway?" Choji asked. "Sensei said the Akimichi creates an opening for the Nara with big, bold, chakra intensive attacks, like the Human Boulder. Then, the Nara holds the opponent in place so the Yamanaka can take over the enemy and gain intel."

"Well, yeah, Choji. We know that," Ino frowned. "But then my body's abandoned on the floor, and if we're against more than one person, that becomes really hard to do."

"Did you know that once one enemy is captured the Nara becomes in charge of protecting the Yamanaka? They often use Shadow Possession to animate the unconscious body and mirror fight."

"I'm not looking after Ino's limp body for ages," Shikamaru argued.

Ino growled, "Like hell I'd let you near my unprotected body anyway. You're terrible at mirror fighting."

"Am not."

"Yes you are! I nearly took a kunai to the face last time!"

"You were distracting me by talking my ear off!" Shikamaru retorted. "At least if you were unconscious I could think."

Ino growled and half rose, hand slamming into the table.

"Ino, chill," tried Choji, "you too, Shikamaru. We're teammates, we shouldn't be fighting."

"We're not fighting," argued Shikamaru.

"Oh yes we are!" shot Ino.

Choji sighed and flopped back in his seat groaning, "Guys…" Looking around for something to break up the fight-not-fight of his comrades, Choji pointed out the window. "Hey look. It's Itachi-sensei, with Kurenai-sensei and Kakashi-sensei."

"Huh? Sakura and Hinata's senseis?" Ino blink, attention completely redirected for the moment. "Why would they all be together?"

"Maybe they're having a pep-talk?" Shikamaru asked looking too, seeing the three teachers at a dango restaurant across the way. Itachi looked small against Kakashi and Kurenai, face partially hidden by a high collared shirt, similar to the ones Sasuke usually wore, as well as being physically smaller than both adults. The two had Itachi caught between them, and Shikamaru had the distinct impression that Itachi would rather be anywhere else but there.

"Do you wanna go spy?" Ino asked.

"Yeah, because that worked so well last time," Shikamaru frowned, remembering the torture that followed the ANBU mask debacle.

"We could just ask him," Choji shrugged. "What? He kinda seems less creepy and more approachable now," he said to Ino and Shikamaru's incredulous looks.

Ino shook her head, "I… really don't think so."

"Why's Kakashi-sensei the only one in uniform?" wondered Choji. The three were all still staring at the sensei in the dango shop, earlier squabble forgotten in curiosity, their barbeque smoking gently.

"I think it's more Itachi-sensei is the only one _not_ in uniform," said Shikamaru, "I've met Kiba after training before and that's what Kurenai-sensei was wearing."

"Alright, but that still leaves us why those three are meeting up and why Itachi-sensei isn't in uniform," Ino pressed.

"I dunno," shrugged Shikamaru. "Maybe they kidnapped him?"

Choji nodded, "Yeah, he really doesn't look happy about being there."

"Well, in that case, we should totally rescue him."

Both boys snapped their gaze away to Ino.

"Uhh…"

"What?"

"What?!" Ino echoed Choji. "If he doesn't want to be there, he can join us."

"But like… what if he's got some Jonin work to do or something?" Choji frowned.

Shikamaru hummed, "And anyway, we've just trained with him for the last three hours, we _stink_. No way would the other Jonin would believe us. It could get Itachi-sensei in trouble."

Ino huffed and put her elbows on the table and rested her chin in her hands. "Yeah… but… should we really leave him to it?"

Shikamaru waved a hand, "Sensei's a big boy, I'm sure he can handle it."

Choji hummed in agreement, expertly looking after their lunch. Ino watched the chubby kid and his deft fingers for a long while before smirking. "Choji…"

"Hmm?"

"Come with me to Itachi-sensei and I'll buy you a rack of ribs."

Choji's eyes darted up, a dark twinkle set in his gaze. "You serious, Ino?"

Ino nodded, "Of course. I wouldn't joke to you about food."

Choji chuckled and turn to Shikamaru. "Get it ordered, Shikamaru. Ino and me won't be long."

"Guys…" Shikamaru blinked in disbelief. "Hey, wait! I'm pretty sure this is a bad idea!"

"Well, someone has to look after our table," reasoned Ino.

"Not that!"

"It'll be fine, Shikamaru," Choji smiled, following Ino up and heading towards the door. "No matter what happens, I can't die while I know there's ribs waiting for me."

Shikamaru's mouth hung open.

"Extra barbecue sauce too."

His eye twitched. Turning away from Choji and Ino's retreating backs, Shikamaru eventually flagged down a server and asked for the ribs, before turning to the window, spotting his teammates walking over to the group of sensei. "This has to be a disaster," he mumbled to himself, chin in his hand.

And yet… not. Shikamaru watched the group for what felt like an age. Ino walked up with her usual air of owning the place. Kakashi looked up first, followed by the other sensei.

It was too far away to lip-read, and Shikamaru's skill in that wasn't particularly great either. But… it didn't seem to be going horribly. The sensei didn't seem mad and Itachi actually had that slight sag to his left that Shikamaru had begun to recognise as relief. Itachi stood after a time and Ino grabbed his hand, dragging him towards the barbeque restaurant, the three returning to the table just as Choji's ribs arrived.

"Yeah! Now that's what I'm talking about!" Choji grinned and jabbed a finger at Ino. "Don't forget you're paying for these."

"Yeah, yeah, fatty. Just sit down already." Ino waved her hand and nudged Itachi into their booth, sliding in next to him and trapping the older teen between her and the window.

"So, are you saved or abducted?" Shikamaru asked, steepling his fingers.

"Hello to you too, Shikamaru." Itachi slouched slightly and put an elbow on the table, knuckles resting against his lips.

"That's not an answer, Sensei. We can always send you back."

Itachi shifted, closing his eyes slightly. A scoff to the trained eye. "Saved."

"What did they want you for?" Shikamaru interrogated, adding to Ino, "And how did you get him out of it?"

"General asking after me. I don't like being asked after," Itachi answered evasively.

"Oh, I just made out like Itachi-sensei ran off when it's his turn to pay," Ino shrugged.

"Speaking of, Sensei, do you want anything? Ino's buying," said Choji.

"Maybe don't poke the pig," Shikamaru said quietly, leaning away from a seething Ino. Even with a table between them, he didn't trust she wouldn't try break Choji's neck.

Itachi shook his head slightly. "I'm fine, thank you."

"I can't decide if it's worse you'd prefer to be socially awkward with us than with the other sensei," Shikamaru said after a minute of silence only permeated by Choji's ribs sizzling.

Itachi tilted his head to one side. "Socially awkward?"

"Yeah, we're not exactly having a conversation, and the other Jonin looked more like they were talking _at_ you rather than _with_ you."

Itachi looked at Shikamaru for a long moment before shrugging one shoulder. "I'm boring I guess. I like my own company." The underlying _but people keep bothering me_, didn't go unnoticed by Shikamaru.

"You made a lot of effort lately. I was half convinced you don't do anything but train," he said, thinking about the recent decision Itachi had to… hang out, with his team.

"Generally I don't," Itachi said, not missing a beat. "I like training. But I thought if I got to know you all better I could get you to like training too."

"Wait, that's why we talked about chip flavours? So I'd train?" Choji frowned, rib frozen halfway to his face.

"In a manner of speaking. It's not so much your abilities that are lacking – though I would appreciate it if all of you increased your jutsu repertoire," Itachi said, giving each of them a pointed look, "but my ability to understand your motivations and trust in you. So I thought I'd try to fix that by focusing on things you like to do and being interested in that."

"So… you wanna be our friend?" guessed Ino.

"More like we're his guinea pigs because he doesn't human," Shikamaru shrugged.

Choji hummed, talking around a mouth full of barbeque ribs, "Like Sasuke then, but with more authority and less 'you-are-dirt-to-me'."

"That… You know I can hear you right?" Itachi asked, incredulous.

Waving at a server, Choji said loudly, "Sensei says we need more barbeque ribs!"

* * *

Back at the tea shop, Kakashi and Kurenai stood watching Team Ten in their booth.

"It looks like he's having fun," Kurenai mused as Itachi sagged deeper in his seat.

"Is that what that is? Looks more to me like he's trying to phase through the window," Kakashi replied, Icha-Icha open in one hand, though his gaze wasn't on the pages of well-written filth. "Something obviously is amiss. It didn't make sense when he got kicked out, and it makes even less sense he's been made a Genin teacher the same year his little brother graduated."

"We'll figure it out," Kurenai assured "For now, let's just take some solace in the fact he's not as robotic as we first thought and that his team think enough of him to want to spend time with him."

Kakashi hummed and in the next instant, both Jonin had vanished, leaving behind three cups of steaming tea on the table.


	5. Chapter 4: Journey

Bit of a short chapter - but on the plus side plot is happening? Progressing? Well... anyway, things are happening... enjoy!

* * *

"Visuals, anyone? The target should be around here somewhere," Choji said, with only the barest of hitches in his voice.

They were doing another D-Rank mission and Itachi had put him in charge for leadership experience, though it was obvious the boy wasn't inclined to the task. He preferred to follow than take initiative and Itachi had hoped to give Choji a little more confidence in his own abilities by letting him take point.

"All clear here," he responded over the comms, Shikamaru echoing much the same.

"I can't see it, but I'm sure I hear something," came Ino's soft reply.

"Okay… uh…" Choji stammered and Itachi could hear shifting over the comms. He seemed to be waiting for someone to rescue him.

In the end it was Ino that spoke up, "Target spotted! Heading west, I'm in persuit!"

"West is… Shikamaru?" Choji asked.

"Yup, and I see it too," Shikamaru confirmed. "Fuck that thing's fast. I think it could give you a run for your money, Sensei."

Itachi chuckled a bit as he headed over to join the pursuit. "If only because I'm going to refuse to be the one catching it. I'm supervising, remember?"

"Such a drag."

That got a chuckle out of all the team that was followed by various grunts and cries of surprise. Once he was on the scene, Itachi had to hold back full blown laughter. Ino and Shikamaru were throwing themselves around trying to snag a small cat with a red bow around its right ear, Choji to the side shifting from foot to foot uncertainly.

Hopping over to the boy Itachi put a hand on Choji, startling him. "Take a deep breath and think over what's not working. Why can't they capture the cat?"

"It's fast."

"Yes, but what else?"

Choji was quiet for a moment as he watched his teammates. He jumped a little as the thought came to him. "It's used to being caught."

Itachi nodded. "Yep, this mission turns up at least once a month. That cat is very used to ninja trying to catch it, which is probably why it's so quick."

"So… what should we do?"

Itachi cocked his head, face carefully blank, "What do you think we should do?"

"Sensei…" he half whined, looking between his friends and Itachi.

"Just relax, think about it. How could we catch a cat that's expecting human ambush?" Itachi asked, convinced he'd given too much away. "What does our team specialise in?"

Even so, it took Choji another five minutes to figure out what he should be doing. "E-everyone back off. Shikamaru, hide and try to get a good line of sight on it for Shadow Possession. Ino, we're gonna try flank it and confine it to another clearing."

Dutifully, both Genin yelled a 'hai!' and moved as directed, Shikamaru practically vanishing into the treeline and Ino tried to lure the cat into a clearing large enough for her and Choji to manoeuvre. Choji and Itachi followed behind before the former ran off to help Ino, the take down going smoother now Shikamaru could see the field clearer and get his shadow jutsu working.

Still it took a while and the Genin were irritated and more than a little scratched up by the time they were finished.

"Well done, everyone," Itachi praised, picking up the cat as Shikamaru's jutsu gave out. Claws flashed and the cat went to strike Itachi, only for the older teen to shoot it a glare. Immediately, the cat thought better of the action and went limp. "Good kitty," Itachi praised, bringing the cat closer to himself and holding it supportively.

"H-how'd you do that?" Shikamaru balked, a cut on his cheek bleeding sluggishly.

"Killing intent," Itachi shrugged, gesturing for his team to follow him back to the client, who was waiting for them at the Hokage's Tower. "It's a skill a lot of ninja learn as they get older. You focus your will to kill and creatures and people tend to get a horrible feeling in response. It's an easy way to shut people up quickly, regardless if you genuinely mean to do them harm or not."

"That's both amazing and terrifying," Ino informed him as a large woman covered in fur and jewels ran from the tower towards them, arms open.

"Tora! My baby ah!"

"Madam, Shijimi," Itachi bowed and handed out the cat, ignoring the obvious anguish the cat was in as the Daimo's wife grabbed her pet and tried to smother it with love.

"Thank you so much! Now come, Tora, you must be starving, oh baby, you poor thing," Madam Shijimi cooed, turning away and walking off down the street, a number of guards carefully falling into formation around her.

"I… feel like that cat is begging to be saved," mumbled Choji.

"Probably," Itachi shrugged, taking a step to the Hogake's office. "Let's go collect our reward and if you want, I'll patch you all up before you head home."

"Seriously?" The three balked.

Itachi shrugged a shoulder, "Well, Inoichi at the very least will be furious with me, and it isn't as though bandages are expensive." He smiled a little at the furious blush on Ino's cheeks.

"He's so embarrassing!"

* * *

"Sit wherever you like. Sorry I only have one chair," Itachi added apologetically as he and his team filed into his small apartment. He went to the dresser and removed a large first aid kit, placing it on his desk and pulling out bandages and ointment while the three looked around and situated themselves. Ino and Shikamaru settled on the bed while Choji looked out the window, munching on a bag of snacks.

Taking his desk chair and moving it closer to the bed, Itachi started with Ino, only because she was nearest, and smirked a little realising Shikamaru and Choji were eyeing the hidden bed panel that hid his ANBU uniform and trying to look like they weren't.

"Something funny, Sensei? Ow," Ino hissed as he pressed an antiseptic soaked pad into the wounds on her arm.

"Just thinking this is the busiest my apartment's ever been," Itachi lied.

"It looks like you're never here yourself," she argued, Itachi shrugging in response.

"I'm here more now than I used to be," he answered, "I used to go on missions for long periods of time before becoming a sensei." Though to be fair, he spent that time training now since he couldn't be as rigorous on himself when training his team. There was also the occasional secret meeting with Shisui or Fugaku, though in general they were so infrequent that it was relatively easy to fit them in.

"Still… don't you… _do_ anything?"

"I read," Itachi replied with not even the barest hint of offense, tipping his head to the bedside.

"That's the book from before," Shikamaru noted. "You didn't finish it?"

"Not yet," Itachi said, pausing after pressing a plaster over Ino's cut to pass Shikamaru the book. "I'm at the section regarding the Yata Mirror."

"It's all just legends and like… people not knowing what ninjutsu was right?" Shikamaru asked as he flipped the book open.

Itachi shrugged, "Maybe, but I like having a look around at the sites and seeing where people got those ideas from. How much of it is fiction based off of their environment and how much of it has basis in fact."

There was quiet from the three, broken by Choji, "You sound older than Shikamaru when he wants a nap."

"Hey, you join me in those!"

"Yeah, and you still sound like my great-grandpa!"

Itachi gave an aborted snort. The comment had caught him off-guard, but it wasn't like he wasn't aware his hobbies were odd. "Considering I've bumped into Lord Hokage a couple of times while doing so, I think you're right," he agreed.

"Did he tell you off?" Choji asked. "Lord Hokage told us off for sleeping on the Stone Faces."

"No, we spoke about possibility of dragons and whether they should have wings or not."

Three pairs of eyes blinked at him in astonishment.

"Uh... is… that something you want to discuss?" Itachi asked hesitantly, not at all sure if the looks on his students bode good or not.

"More like we want to know why you and Lord Hokage were talking about dragons in any kind of serious manner," Ino explained.

"Well, animal summons exist, and many of them are capable of ninjutsu," Itachi explained, finishing with Ino and shifting on to Shikamaru. "So we were discussing if dragons had summons. Lord Hokage argued they were probably just snakes as most depictions of dragons have scales and the sizes of summons combined with the variety of jutsu could make it possible for a flying snake and its summoner ninja could be mistaken for a mythical beast."

"All I'm hearing is that you genuinely believe in dragons," Shikamaru stated, frowning.

Itachi didn't deny it. "I'm open to the possibility of them."

"Next you'll be telling us it's okay to wear your ANBU mask."

Itachi cocked an eyebrow, "I'd rather you didn't, but if you really feel the need, I'm not going to stop you."

"Who are you and what have you done with Itachi-sensei?" Ino asked.

"I'm trying to be nice, if you'd rather I worked you like my old ANBU squad, fine," Itachi said, not missing a beat. "You'll be training for a minimum of twelve hours a day and have a half hour break with food pills before I want you back for midnight drills."

"No! No, this is fine. I like this Itachi-sensei!" Ino cried her voice rising in fear, Shikamaru and Choji's expressions radiating the same horror.

"O-out of curiosity, what do midnight drills involve?"

"Choji, you're not serious?" Shikamaru shot, eyes wide.

"Running evacuation routes, 3 hour spars and depending on how my day's been, I'll set traps with varying levels of environment damage," Itachi informed, which didn't seem to ease his students' concern in any way, shape or form. "Relax," he tried with a smile, "I wouldn't do that to you three."

Their hesitation lingered but seemed to fade as Itachi went back to his work cleaning and patching up the scratches while Shikamaru flipped through the book of weapons. "What's the Sword of Kusanagi?" he asked, pausing at a page.

"Hm? Ah, it's a sword said to be able to cut through anything. It can also be controlled telepathically and change its length," Itachi explained.

"Real or fake?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "The site my research on it took me to was completely barren. I think someone must have gone there before me. But whether they found it or not, I can't be sure."

"Have you ever found anything?" Shikamaru asked, mumbling a thank you as Itachi finished with him and moved on to Choji.

"Some, but I'd have to kill you if I told you about them," Itachi said, his tone light.

"Could… you maybe not joke about murdering us?" Ino half-begged. Itachi tipped his head to the side, blinking owlishly. "Oh god you're not even joking about it are you."

"Ninja lead dangerous lives and trade in secrets. Don't be offended, some of the things I know can only be shared with the highest ranking officials. It's the same for your parents," Itachi smiled again. "I am sorry if I've frightened you though. I'll try to uh… 'not joke about murdering' any of you."

* * *

As May drew to a close, Team 10 met at the base of the Hokage Tower and ascended the stairs. Itachi had them arrive early to given them time to plan missions out and complete them with much of the day left to spare, but this time would probably be different.

"Ah, Team 10, greetings," the Hokage welcomed, smiling and waving his hand as the four ninja bowed to him. "I have a mission for you. A C-Rank, if you don't mind."

"R-really?" Choji startled.

"Yes!" Ino cheered softly, fist clenching in victory.

"What kinda mission is it?" Shikamaru asked, yawning slightly.

"I'd like you to go to Bakugakure and investigate a man by the name of Tachihara Kumo," the Hokage began. "Rumours are he's working with a group of bandits to disrupt Bakuhakure's Summer Festival. I'd like you to find him and if possible, the bandits."

"So we don't need to do anything about the attack on the festival?" Shikamaru asked.

"We don't know what kind of disruption it will be," the Hokage admitted. "If you discover that information as well and feed it back, we can assess it all at once. For the moment, the mission is reconnaissance only."

Itachi walked forward and took the mission scroll. "Is there a time frame on this mission?"

"Just as soon as possible. Though I would expect you back before the month's end."

"Why then?" asked Ino as they walked through the village, having been dismissed from the Hokage's office.

"Because Chuunin exam registration is by June thirtieth," Itachi supplied. "In general as well, it'll be three days travel to Bakugakure and three days back. So we should maximize our time in the village and get the information needed as quickly as possible."

"Urgh, three days? That's like forever," Choji whined.

"Recon missions often take a while I'm afraid. Go pack for a month and unless you want to live off food pills, bring food and money," Itachi ordered. "I'll meet you all at the gates no later than 3pm. Understood?"

A round of yes's answered him and the three pre-teens left to their various homes, and Itachi hopped onto the nearest roof to do the same.

He didn't mind recon missions, they were generally low-energy and his team was actually perfectly suited to this kind of situation. All he had to do was convince them to travel at a certain speed, since walking all the way to Bakugakure would take a week.

* * *

"Hey! Sensei, we're here!" Ino called, waving as she lead the group of three to the village gates. Behind her Choji and Shikamaru carried several bags.

"Hello. Uhm, why have you two got so many things?" Itachi asked, tipping his head to one side.

"More like why have you got nothing, Sensei!" Choji shot, jabbing a finger at Itachi, who didn't even have a backpack. "I'm not sharing!"

"One's mine, the rest are Choji's snacks," Shikamaru explained, dropping the bags on the floor. "Choji's right though – to say we've had hours to pack, you look like you didn't bother and just waited here."

"In a way," Itachi shrugged. "I'll explain when we set camp for the night. For now, let's sign out of the village and I'll help carry some of these. Can you all travel in the trees for a few hours?" Affirmative hums sounded as the four walked over to the gatekeepers and Itachi explained the rather simplistic system for leaving and entering the village. "We sign our names and the date here, and depending on how secretive the mission is, our reason for leaving."

"What do you write if the mission's a secret?"

"Whatever the mission scroll states your cover to be. In our case, it's fine to just write 'mission'," Itachi said, signing his name, smudging it slightly.

"You know, for a clever guy, you really struggle with a brush pen," Kotetsu mumbled, gesturing the others over. "You kids too, hurry up, and try to write better than your sensei."

Once they were all done and Choji's bags were gathered they headed off. Behind him, Itachi heard Kotetsu turn to the other guard, Izumo. "Come to think of it, ain't Shisui's writing sloppy too?"

"Yeah, sometimes I can't even read their names, it's awful. You think they'd use their Sharingan to copy someone who can write legibly," Izumo joked. "Seriously though. I'm glad I'm not the Hokage reading their mission reports."

Smiling a little, Itachi returned his attention to his students. "Alright you three, to the trees. I want to get to Bakugakure before I'm thirty."

"If we're still heading there in a decade it's only because Choji's bags are so fucking heavy!" Shikamaru shot.

Choji huffed, "Well, luckily for you guys I can jump and eat." As he spoke, a bag of some kind of snack was already being ripped open by Choji so he could begin eating.

"It's not even been two minutes and you're already stuffing your face?!" Ino squawked.

Itachi sighed. This was going to be a long journey.

* * *

Hours later, once the sun had set, Itachi finally gave them the cue to stop and make camp.

The three collapsed to the ground eagerly, their bags going everywhere. Itachi smiled gently, putting down the bags he'd carried. "You all rest for a moment, I'll get some firewood."

"Yup, sounds great," Ino mumbled with vague enthusiasm.

He had to hold back a chuckle as he went into the woods, knowing the three would be more than a little offended at him if he did. Several minutes later, he returned with arms laden with sticks to find that none of his students had moved an inch. Did I push them too hard? Itachi wondered.

"Are you all alright?" he asked, setting the sticks down and starting to make a fire pit.

"Hungry," confirmed Choji.

"My feet hurt," whined Ino.

"I'm just gonna sleep here, Sensei. Don't move me ever," said Shikamaru. Not one of them twitched as Itachi worked.

He weaved the signs for fireball jutsu swiftly and with only a small amount of chakra lit the firewood. "Well, if you want food, I'd suggest getting your own out, I'm a poor chef," he admitted, poking the fire with a spare stick to check the flames had properly taken before unclipping one of the scroll pockets on his flak jacket and removing the storage scroll within.

"Are you seriously working, Sensei? We were running all day," Shikamaru asked in disbelief as Itachi unrolled the scroll.

"Hmm? No," Itachi said, putting the scroll on the floor as the seal was revealed. "You asked me earlier where my pack was, remember? I stored it in this scroll." Placing a hand on the seal and activating it with a little chakra, a puff of smoke erupted and neatly atop the scroll seal was a backpack and a small metal container. Itachi pushed the container into the fire and put his pack to one side before rolling up the scroll and putting it away.

"Wait, what? That's a thing?" Ino asked sluggishly, sitting up and looking at Itachi's back as he pulled a bedroll out of it.

"What's in the box?" Choji asked, sniffing the air in confusion.

"Leftover ramen from the other night," Itachi replied. "I told you, I'm not great at cooking, now come on you three, beds out or you'll be sleeping in the dirt all night."

Choji's stomach growled. "Damn, hot food sounds nice. I've got onigiri."

"Same," responded Shikamaru and Ino, both pulling out bento boxes. Probably made by their mothers, Itachi thought, remembering how his own mother would make him lunches for long missions when he first started out as a ninja.

Shrugging, he assured, "Well eat away. If we keep this pace up it won't be much longer until we reach Bakugakure, then we can get lodging and eat out for dinner."

Ino shuffled closer to the fire, warming her hands and legs for a long moment before looking back to her pack and throwing a blanket around her shoulders. Soon they were all eating their dinner in silence until Itachi spoke up. "So what do you three know about keeping watch?"

"I know basically someone stays up while everyone else sleeps," Ino confirmed.

"Iruka-sensei told us there's often shifts when there's more than one person," added Choji.

Shikamaru poked his onigiri into some soy sauce. "Wait, you're not saying we have to bust our asses all day running and do watch shifts at night are you?"

"Of course," Itachi said, unphased. His team started to voice objections but stopped when Itachi raised a hand. "But since it's your first mission out of the village, I'll be nice. You each have to put effort into travel and each night, I'll do the majority of the watch, and leave the final two hours to one of you. That shouldn't be too bad, right?"

"That still sounds pretty crap," Shikamaru sighed.

"Dibs not first!" Ino shouted.

"Me neither!" hollered Choji.

Itachi smirked, "Well volunteered, Shikamaru."

Shikamaru's eye twitched. "Yay me," he said flatly.

His teammates laughed and Itachi allowed his smirk to widen a little. Team 10 certainly wasn't like his ANBU team, but it did remind him of his old Genin team.

Itachi's heart gave a lurch. Tenma…

He'd been little more than a child back then, but because he hadn't been fast enough, Tenma had lost his life. Itachi had sworn to himself then, that it wouldn't happen again. He wouldn't allow his teammates to die. He had the power to protect them now, and he would never let himself be that weak again.

* * *

Two days later as his watch neared its end, Itachi poked the fire back to life, rubbing his eyes tiredly. Doing the majority of the watch and running for hours during the day was taking its toll. He was only human after all, but then, he should be able to rest more easily in Bakugakure, sending the three off, perhaps with a Shadow Clone to keep an eye. Speaking of Shadow Clones…

He made the hand sign and a copy of himself appeared. "Walk on to Bakugakure and reserve some rooms in an inn, please?" he asked it, tossing over his wallet.

"Sure. I'll leave it in the room," the clone shrugged, yawning and turning in the direction of the village. It would take the clone anywhere between two and seven hours to get to the village as it didn't have enough chakra to Body Flicker to the village.

Still, it should be fine, Itachi thought to himself as he nudged Ino for her watch. "I've nudged the fire some so you should be warm enough until morning."

Ino grumbled a little and rubbed her eyes as she rose from her bed. "Alright, thanks, Sensei. How many hours until we set off?"

"Four?" Itachi guessed, a hint of question in his tone. He'd prefer five, as it meant more sleep, but it also meant they would be travelling for longer than Itachi wanted.

"Alright, I'll nudge you then," Ino yawned.

Settling down in his bedroll, Itachi fell asleep quickly, more of a testament to training and his exhaustion than a comment on how well the teen actually slept. Which was extremely lightly and generally not well. He heard each member of his team waking and talking over the course of an hour or so, though he refused to move or open his eyes in the hope he'd nod off again for a few more minutes.

"Do we have to get up?" Choji whined from somewhere to Itachi's left. "It's warm in here."

"Get up, fatty" Ino shot. "Sensei said we're almost there."

"Sensei's still in bed."

"Sensei doesn't eat breakfast and you eat like… three! So shut up!"

"How about you both can it?" Shikamaru interrupted. "If I can't sleep through you two arguing, like hell Sensei can."

Itachi imagined Ino and Choji flushing with embarrassment, as neither spoke for perhaps ten minutes after that, their chatter replaced with the occasional clang and rustle of the three trying to make themselves breakfast quietly.

Itachi hoped his clone got them separate rooms.


	6. Chapter 5: Preparation

Thank you for all the kind reviews so far! It's really nice knowing that people are enjoying this and picking up on some of the little things I doing ^_^

* * *

"So this is Bakugakure?" Shikamaru asked as the village finally came into view.

It was smaller than Konoha by a fair margin, and surrounded by a wall of brightly decorated stones of varying colours and size. The people seemed happy enough and particularly welcoming of strangers, which was unusual, even for a tourist town.

"Oh wow! Your hair is so pretty!" a woman praised Ino as they passed. "If you ever need a cut, I know of a great salon!"

"O-oh, uh, thank you," Ino smiled, bowing a little and looking to Itachi for guidance.

"Ah, a bunch of growing young lads!" a man called from what Shikamaru guessed to be a ramen bar. "Why don't you pull up a stool and have some lunch?"

Choji took a step in the man's direction, only to be stopped by Itachi's hand on his shoulder.

"Perhaps later, we're just passing through at the moment," their sensei replied cordially.

"Suit yourselves, I'm open 'til late!"

Ino shuddered, wrapping her hands around her shoulders, "These people seem kinda creepy."

"Bakugakure isn't exactly poorly off, they could stand to be… less welcoming," Itachi agreed slowly.

"I don't think they're welcoming," Shikamaru frowned.

Choji's stomach growled. "Hopefully with these guys being so chatty the mission won't take long," he said as Itachi lead them to one of the village's inns.

"On the contrary, that might actually make it harder," he said, urging them up the stairs while the desk staff weren't looking. After breakfast, Itachi had explained he was only able to get a single room due to the upcoming festival, much of the rooms booked out by regular tourism or workmen doing odd-jobs around the village in preparation. As such they needed to be careful with coming and going from the inn.

"What makes you say that?" Choji wondered once they were safely hidden away in their room.

"If these people are so friendly to strangers, it's as much a danger as it is a boon," Itachi explained, taking his wallet from the bed and stowing it away. "Sure we might get a lot of information, but all it takes is one person blabbing to Tachihara that we're asking about him for the mission to fail."

"So how are we supposed to find out information about him without asking people?" Choji asked.

"You tell me, what do you think the best method is?" Itachi asked, his dark eyes scanning over all three Genin.

"Well, it'd be easier if we knew what he looked like," Shikamaru noted, eyebrows pulled together in thought.

"What do we actually know about Tachihara?" Ino frowned.

"Not a lot," Itachi admitted, removing the mission scroll and unravelling it on the bed for everyone to see. "We know his name, that he's been here for around two weeks, has a bad reputation and a speech impediment."

Choji frowned. "Speech impediment?"

Itachi hummed, "A stammer, or something to the effect usually. Sometimes a verbal tick like elongating s's or the overuse of the word like."

"That's… pretty vague," Ino hedged.

Itachi nodded. "It just means we have to be subtle about our interrogation."

"We could use Transformations?" Choji suggested. "If they don't know who we are, then Tachihara won't know Konoha ninja are asking about him, right?"

"It's a good idea, Choji," Itachi praised.

He didn't sound sold on it though, with Shikamaru saying as much. "But not the best one?" Itachi shrugged a shoulder. "Well, what would you recommend, oh wise Sensei?"

"Less of the sarcasm for a start," Itachi said flatly. "And I lean more on genjutsu than Transformation, but that doesn't mean Choji's idea was bad." He turned his attention to Ino. "How subtly do you think you can enter someone's mind?"

"Uh… well, the Mind Transfer isn't exactly subtle and I don't actually gain any intel just by transferring. So it's probably more of a last resort, or else taking control of an unconscious person?" Ino tentatively explained.

Itachi nodded. "Alright, that's doable." Shikamaru had the impression it had thrown a wrench in Itachi's plan and irritated their sensei, but since Itachi didn't outwardly complain, Shikamaru thought it best not to comment either.

"For now, we'll unpack, change into civilian gear and use minor Transformations to make ourselves look like strangers. Then we'll spread out, try find somewhere with locals and just listen," Itachi ordered. "Listen to conversations and recall as much as you can about the people here and their plans. We'll meet back here in the evening and feedback. Hopefully we'll have a list of people that might bump into Tachihara we can either tail, control or impersonate."

"Is it okay to go around unarmed?" Shikamaru wondered.

"Are you really unarmed? You all have taijutsu, genjutsu and ninjutsu at your disposal. All I'm asking is to leave your headbands and weapons behind."

"What about if room service finds us here?" Choji asked.

"I'm going to put genjutsu on the door," Itachi explained. "Anyone touching the door will forget why they needed to be there and leave. We'll be using the window," he added in response to the confused expressions of his students.

"Well, if that's all sorted, looks like there's only one thing left to discuss."

"Oh yeah? What's that Ino?" Shikamaru asked.

"Who gets the bed, duh!"

Shikamaru looked around the room. Ino was right, there was only one bed the room and while it was currently only occupied by a mission scroll, they'd all spent the last three nights sleeping on the floor. Cautiously, he met eyes with his teammates, seeing the same wary but determined expressions on Ino and Choji's faces. As one, they looked to Itachi, to see if he would challenge them. He looked as calm as ever. Bored almost.

Silence stretched between them.

"I'm going for a shower. If you're going to fight over the bed, I'll have it," Itachi began sternly. "If you can share, I'm fine on the floor and you three can rotate bed privileges." Without waiting for confirmation from his team, Itachi unsealed his bag from its scroll and disappeared into the adjoining bathroom.

Shikamaru frowned. The room wasn't big enough for all of them to sleep on the floor, but with one on the bed, they could manage. It would be a total drag though. Not to mention the room was generally sparse. One bedside table with a lamp on it, window opposite the door. Shikamaru assumed the bathroom would be equally mediocre and quietly hoped that it wasn't the kind of setup where the hot water could be used up, leaving Shikamaru, Choji and Ino to wash in frigid water.

"We go on the bed in the same order as we kept watch?" Shikamaru offered.

Ino's eye twitched, "So you get to go first?"

"Sensei said to pack for a month, you'll get your turn. We'll probably be here at least a week," Shikamaru reasoned.

"Keep your voices down," Choji warned, his eyes on the bathroom. "If Sensei hears us arguing he'll take the bed all for himself."

"Good point..." Ino frowned. "Rock, paper, scissors? Winner gets the bed tonight and the winner after that tomorrow? Loser goes last."

"Sure."

"That seems fair."

Itachi returned almost half an hour later accompanied by a swathe of steam, clad in grey trousers and a drab blue long sleeved shirt with a high collar, his long dark hair damp and loose around his elbows. He looked about to throw his pack on the bed but changed direction mid-swing and threw it into one corner instead. "Did you sort the sleeping arrangements out?" he asked.

"Yeah, Ino, me, then Choji," Shikamaru confirmed from his bed on the floor. He and Choji had also changed into plain clothes while Ino waited with her washbag, though she'd at least removed her headband and weapon pouches.

"I'm gonna clean up too," Ino said softly, getting up and slipping past Itachi into the bathroom.

Their sensei settled by his pack, dropping his towel on one leg so his hands were free to dig through his belongings.

"What're you looking for?" Choji asked, shifting for a better view of Itachi.

"Ink and a brush," Itachi replied. "I'm going to ward the window, and if you're all happy with it, I'd like to put a small seal on you all so you can come and go from the room without triggering the ward."

"Does the ward make a noise?"

"No, it's more like a feeling," Itachi paused, ink and brush in hand. "It's hard to describe, but it's similar to the feeling when you displace a genjutsu. It won't hurt," he added, obviously of the mind that's what Choji was fretting about.

"Oh…" Choji blinked. "I… guess that's okay then?"

Back to them, Itachi coated the window frame in sigils that Shikamaru didn't recognise while they waited for Ino. "Will you both be getting clean too?" he wondered.

"Later, I want dinner first," Choji argued.

Shikamaru nodded. "We don't smell that bad. No worse than regular teenagers anyway. Do we all have to eat separately?"

"No larger than pairs, but I would prefer alone, yes," Itachi agreed.

Ino reappeared soon after and Itachi re-explained what was happening while he drew the seal on Choji's upper arm, moving onto Shikamaru to do the same.

"So, these allow us to go around without being noticed?" Ino asked as Itachi moved to apply hers.

"People can still see you, so it's up to you all to find opportune times to enter and exit, but my ward won't be triggered," Itachi corrected. "The seal is better placed under clothing, in case your Transformation is lost," he added, waiting for Ino to offer him some skin.

She turned and pulled up her shirt, exposing her back. "How come you don't use genjutsu on the window as well?" she asked as he worked on her seal.

"I would if this was a higher ranked mission. As it is, I'm only taking these precautions because the people here are overly nosy and I could rather do without failing our first mission out of the village."

"Yeah, it probably wouldn't look good huh?" Shikamaru mused, stretching and grabbing his wallet. "Choji and I are gonna head out first and look for a place to eat. Later." Choji joined him and after glancing out the window, both waved a hand and were gone in a flash.

* * *

"So, where do you wanna head?" Choji asked as they walked the street, being as polite as they could to passersby who greeted them.

"Somewhere with a lot of people. We can wander through looking for seats and pick up info that way. If we can at least get a description of Tachihara or the location of somewhere he frequents that'll get things moving," Shikamaru replied, looking around as they walked.

"Then we also need somewhere the locals go too?"

"Maybe. It could also be worth just checking anywhere out though, maybe some of the contractors are bandits?" Shikamaru suggested. "And in general it's harder to overhear conversations when there are lots of people around, so our target should be where there's less chance of being overheard."

"Alright, but like… alleys in the dead of night are also a good place to exchange information," Choji pointed out.

"Only if you aren't spotted."

"I guess… Oh, hey, look," Choji pointed to a pack restaurant, Shikamaru humming in agreement. "Ew… it's a vegetarian joint."

"Suck it up, Choji, vegetables don't taste that bad."

"They don't fill you either! I can eat three bowls of salad and feel no fuller. Now, three bowls of chicken wings…"

Shikamaru sighed, "Choji…"

They went inside anyway and were assaulted by the smells of vegetables and fruit. Each plate they passed looked amazing and Shikamaru noticed more than a few burgers and fries. It wasn't traditional, but nothing about Bakugakure seemed traditional. All the buildings had bright lights, multiple levels and overbearing staff as they discovered when a young woman collared them while they looked around.

"You two don't have a table do you?"

"Ah, no, sorry, we were just looking for one," Choji replied, smiling gently.

"Well, I think we have one by the window. If you go back to the door and wait, I'll check for you," she insisted.

"Oh, no we don't want to be a bother," Shikamaru added.

"Not at all. I'll be right back, go on now," she shooed, Shikamaru and Choji relenting with sighs.

"Is this really okay, Shikamaru?" Choji mumbled as they walked back.

"I mean… I guess so? Just keep an ear out and we'll see." They passed the various tables, women and men talking amongst themselves or bidding the two ninja greetings as they passed.

"Nice weather we're having huh?"

"Oh you two are new? You should have the green bean salad – fresh _and_ local."

"T-thank you, I'll give it a try," Choji said, glaring as the woman who spoke added, "Slimming too."

Shikamaru put a firm hand on Choji's shoulder. "Chill it Choji. We're just here to enjoy dinner, right?"

"Yeah," Choji replied after a long moment, sagging as they continued their way.

They were eventually lead to a table by the waitress from before and sat down, gleaning very little along the way.

"I really don't think this is worth it," Choji hissed under his breath once their orders were taken. "These guys know nothing and talk about even less."

"You're just upset. We've been here less than ten minutes. Let's just give it a bit, Choji," Shikamaru soothed, leaning back and relaxing, his attention drifting to the family chatting idly behind him. They were talking on about very little, as Choji noted; the weather, what tasks they had to do at home, how the children shouldn't bother the builders at the town hall-

"Tachihara told you both you need to stop coming by, building sites are dangerous," the children's mother insisted, Shikamaru's ears twitching to attention.

"I wonder what's going on at the town hall?" he asked Choji, loud enough to be heard by the surrounding tables.

Choji tilted his head in confusion. "Dunno… I didn't even realise there was a town hall.."

"Oh yeah, it's in the middle of town," explained a man to their left, smiling warmly at them. "But it's under construction, ready for the festival. Ya see there was some structural instability in the base, so these kind builders are taking care of it."

"Builders?" Choji asked, "I mean, that's real nice of them, but doesn't that seem… a little dodgy?"

The man blinked. "Why do you think that? Strangers deserve our trust. They're all good people and assuming that they have ill-intent only breeds that ill-intent."

"I see…" Shikamaru said softly, smiling, "Sorry, we've been on our own a fair while. A rogue ninja killed our parents. Now we go around towns looking for work."

"Ah, how noble," the man praised. "I'm sorry about your parents, but if you need work, feel free to ask around, the builders might even have a spot for two kids, if you're good at running messages around?"

Shikamaru gave a happy chuckle. "Yeah, maybe. We'll be sure to ask tomorrow!"

Choji gave Shikamaru a curious look, but didn't comment and when their food came they ate mostly in silence before paying their bills and leaving, heading back to the hotel.

"Looks like we're first back," Choji noted, the room exactly how they'd left it. "How come you told those people we're orphans?" he asked Shikamaru who flopped down on the room's bed.

"You mean about the rogue ninja killing our parents? I wanted to see if that would make them think of the bandits that are supposed to be here, or remind them that not everyone has good intentions. What they're saying just… didn't sound right," Shikamaru reasoned, frowning.

"Yeah… it is fishy," Choji agreed. "But, maybe they are just stupidly nice people?"

"Stupid is definitely the word I would use," Itachi sighed from the windowsill, slipping in with Ino following quickly behind.

"Did you guys find anything out – wow!" Choji balked. Shikamaru looked over and his eyes blew wide. "Wh-what happened to your face, Sensei?"

Itachi looked less than pleased, a bruise blooming on his cheek. Ino, her hair the same black as Itachi's and eyes dark blue like Sasuke's sat beside Shikamaru on the bed before cancelling her Transformation. "Itachi-sensei and me pretended to be siblings, and a guy made a dirty remark about my butt, Sensei called them on it and he got in a fight with a bunch of builders."

"And lost?!" Shikamaru frowned.

"No. I knocked one of them out. The one who being rude about Ino," replied Itachi, flopping down on the floor.

"And then got your butt kicked by six guys."

Itachi shot Ino a dark look, "On _purpose_."

Choji and Shikamaru started laughing, the mental image of their ANBU ranked Sensei losing to normal people utterly hilarious. "Don't worry, Sensei, we won't tell anyone," Choji promised.

"Yeah, we won't break your fragile ninja pride," added Shikamaru with a grin.

Itachi's lip curled, though it didn't look insulting, in fact, Shikamaru reckoned Itachi was snickering. "Thanks. I hate all three of you," he said softly, not sounding like he meant it.

"Aw come on, Sensei. I thought you were really brave and chivalrous defending my honour," Ino smiled.

Itachi's lip twitched again as he rested his head in his hand, mindful of the bruise. "Well, all the same, we found out the builders are in league with Tachihara. They're probably the bandits. Though I think some of the group were townsfolk," he said, getting back to business.

"Yeah, we found out the same," Choji said. "They're working on the town hall."

"It's possible the disruption Lord Hokage is worried about is there," Shikamaru added.

Itachi nodded, "Possibly so. We'll have to investigate."

"Not that they'll want to see Ino or Itachi around there," mused Choji.

"Well, we'll just transform again," Ino reasoned. "It'll be fine. Or you two can go."

Itachi spoke up. "We'll go scout it out first. Under the cover of night when most people should be in their homes, that way we shouldn't be bothered."

"What about if the bandits or Tachihara are there?" asked Ino.

"Observe but don't engage. We don't want them to know we're here. For now though," Itachi said. "We'll head into the forest. If we're going to infiltrate a building I think it might be prudent to teach you all a new technique."

Shikamaru frowned. "New technique?"

Itachi nodded, pushing to his feet and turned to the wall, slowly walking up it until he met the ceiling, barely hesitating before stepping onto it and walking back towards his team, hair hanging down to the ground while the rest of him appeared comfortably supported.

The three's eyes widened, with Ino and Choji looking practically giddy.

"Yes! Dad's always doing that and kept saying I had to wait before he'd show me how to do it!" she exclaimed happily.

"Same, I got told I'd learn after graduating, but then he was usually out on missions," Choji agreed.

"Why can't we do it in here?" Shikamaru asked.

Dropping from the ceiling to the floor and sweeping his ponytail out of the way, Itachi shrugged a shoulder. "I haven't taught it to anyone before, but I got told generally it's better to do it in a forest. There's more ground to cushion your fall and some groups can be really noisy doing it."

"You mean you weren't?" Ino wondered.

"I have near perfect chakra control and I'm a fast learner. I could do it first try."

"But you don't think we can?" Shikamaru inferred.

"I don't know," Itachi replied, and it did seem in earnest. "But I do know what I can do isn't the general standard a lot of the time. So just this once, I'll listen to my senpai."

"Is that what the other Jonin were asking you about back then that time?" Choji asked. Itachi walked over and jabbed Choji in the forehead with two fingers. "Ow!" Choji balked, covering his head.

"You shouldn't be so nosy," their Sensei remarked, a slight pull of his lip and difference in tone displaying his amusement.

* * *

Relenting to their Sensei's wishes before the sun set, Team Ten followed Itachi into the woods, heading a couple of hours out of Bakugakure.

"We won't stay too long," Itachi said, stopping in a clearing. "I'll show you the jutsu again and you can all work out how it was done before trying yourselves. We'll go back to the hotel at ten pm."

Choosing a tree, Itachi walked up it slowly and dangled from a branch again, looking back to the group of Genin.

"Well… it's obviously related to chakra," Shikamaru started. "And since like, your shirt and hair aren't defying gravity, the chakra is focused on a particular point."

Itachi nodded, "Good. Where?"

"Your feet," Choji said. "It's like they're sticking to the tree."

"That… there must be more to it though," Ino frowned, pressing her hand to the bark of a tree. Leaning a little, Shikamaru could see her hand was coated in chakra and a little tug of Ino's arm showed that it was visibly stuck.

"A little, yes," Itachi said, his voice tinged with praise.

Choji joined Ino at a different tree, lifting his foot and testing chakra against the trunk. Shikamaru frowned and crouched, his fingers coming together and his eyes slipping shut.

"Oh, Shikamaru has his thinking face on-"

"Shut up, Ino!" Shikamaru snapped, frown deepening. He wanted to figure this out, and kind of wanted to do it first. Itachi was charging chakra to his feet to walk up the tree and defy gravity. Ino's hand, caked in chakra, stuck to the tree but didn't move.

"Ah!" Shikamaru startled as Choji cried out. "Choji! You okay?"

"M-my foot went through the bark!"

Getting up and going over to look, Ino coming too, they saw Choji's foot , very much buried into the tree.

"Well that's obviously not right," Ino chided.

"I fucking know that, Pig!"

"Fatass!"

"Don't start you two! Ino, help me get his leg out," Shikamaru cut in. Sighing, Ino did help support Choji's weight along with Shikamaru while Choji worked his foot free.

"Thanks," the boy mumbled.

"What happened?" Shikamaru pressed.

"I don't know, I was just charging chakra in my foot and it cracked the bark. I thought maybe that's just what happens and tried to step up. Bad idea, went into the tree."

Forming a theory, Shikamaru asked, "Did you use a lot of chakra?"

"Well. Yeah, I mean, it's gotta support our weight right? You can't just use a little."

Or maybe you could… Shikamaru ran off to Itachi's tree, which showed no signs of cracked bark and drew chakra to his hand then pressed it to the tree. It cracked as he pressed, so he lowered the amount of chakra until it just felt like it was stuck. Reaching higher, he used his other hand with a similar amount of chakra and pulled up his legs. He held.

"Wow! Shikamaru! You're doing it!" Choji cried with a grin.

Dropping back to the ground, Shikamaru tried it again with his feet, getting one stuck, then the other above it. He was vertical, great, but as his balance went and he careened towards the ground, Shikamaru realised only as far as his ankles had stuck to the tree. "Argh…" he grumbled, curling in on himself.

"That was a good attempt," Itachi's voice came from above, "What did you learn?"

"That you don't actually need much chakra. You only need enough to stick to the tree," Shikamaru said, slowly standing up again. "But balancing is awful. Only my foot was stuck."

Itachi hummed in affirmation, "If you take it at a run it might help, standing still horizontally is rather uncomfortable."

"How do you compensate for that?"

Itachi hopped back to the side of the tree and crouched. "The closer you are to the tree the easier it is to support yourself. Fully stood, you can use chakra to support yourself, but there's generally very little reason to stand straight when on a vertical surface."

"So you're just showing off?"

"I'm going slow. Sorry if that's the impression I'm giving."

Growling, Shikamaru took a couple of steps sideways, to avoid Itachi, then backed up and started to run at the tree. Chakra at his feet, Shikamaru made a whole two steps of progress, wobbled and had his arm caught by Itachi so that he wouldn't topple. "My feet… they aren't unsticking."

"Why would they? You're using your chakra to stick to the tree," Itachi replied simply.

"Are you shitting me? You have to gather it and ungather it for _each step_?! That's a total drag!"

"It gets easier the more you do it. Like a baby learning to walk for the first time."

Shikamaru groaned. Using Itachi's arm to help him to balance, he wobbled up the side of the tree, not unlike a toddler, slipping and jerking as his chakra levels weren't quite right. Still, in the end he did make it up to the same branch Itachi had been on.

"Want to go upside down?" his Sensei asked.

"Hell no. Let go, I'm jumping down," Shikamaru replied. Crouching once he was released, Shikamaru sprang from the tree, flipping to land on his feet. He looked to his teammates who were still struggling. This was going to take a while.

* * *

In the end, it took them a couple of days to properly work out the tree climbing technique and a couple more to properly master it. They weren't experts, but they could climb and dangle and jump through the trees with only minimal wobbling and no damage as Itachi insisted it was better to use less chakra than too much, especially in stealth operations.

As evening finally gave way to night on the end of their first week in Bakugakure, Team Ten laid out their plan. Choji, Shikamaru and Ino would do the main bulk of scouting while Itachi hung back, keeping in touch via comms and surveying the town hall from one of the taller buildings, so he could see if anyone was approaching.

They had forgone disguises for this portion, though Itachi had warned that they may need to run or Transform at a moment's notice.

"_Alright, I'm in position, are you three ready?_" Itachi's calm voice came over the comms.

Ino hummed, "_West side looks clear._"

"_East is good too,_" added Choji. "_There's some scaffolding this side._"

"Yeah, the south is good too," Shikamaru responded.

"_Be careful around there, Choji. We don't know how real those construction claims are_," Itachi warned. Choji hummed an affirmative and after a moment, in which Shikamaru assumed Itachi was double checking his area, their Sensei called, "_Okay, go!_"

* * *

Re: the situation with Ino's butt.  
I envisioned it as a teenager somewhere between Ino and Itachi's age and in the very first iteration of this idea, it was going to be Tachihara himself, who is currently 16. Because 16 is older than Ino's 13 and barely younger than Itachi's 17, they both say 'guy', but they do mean a person of a similar age to them.


	7. Chapter 6: Investigation

Hello again - sorry this chapter took so long, a mix of my being ill and a slight annoyance while writing this.

Because everyone's split up, POV shifts a bit, sorry if that confuses anyone, I've tried to keep it clear with line breaks.

Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far, I hope you all enjoy!

* * *

Choji frowned as he fumbled on the scaffolding. He wasn't sure what they were supposed to be looking for, and that made him hesitate about where he should start searching. Itachi had told them to explore all the levels of the town hall. Thankfully there were only three, but that still left him with which one to begin with.

"Start at the bottom I guess," Choji mumbled to himself, finding a gap in the wall that he assumed was part of the repairs and slipped through into the ground floor.

Bakugakure's town hall seemed to be part museum. Looking around Choji saw signs on the wall explaining the history of the town and animals found in the wild there. What he assumed to be displays were covered with large dust sheets to protect them, but just looked creepy in the dark.

Reluctantly he checked under each cover finding little of interest beyond taxidermy of various animals, which looked even more unsettling in the shadows.

"This place is weird," he complained over the comms, moving on to the next room.

"_It's not that bad. This office is a mismanaged mess though_," Ino commented. "_It'll take me a while to sort through this stuff_."

"You think evil bandit stuff will be in the filing cabinet?"

"_Well, where are you looking_?!" shot Ino.

"Well, before I was in some weird stuffed animal display, the next room looks like where the building work is actually taking place, there's a big hole in the ground and materials… hmmm."

"_What have you found, Choji_?" asked Shikamaru.

"A second hole, a ways from the first. It was hidden by a sheet and some building materials," he said, moving things out of the way. "It's smaller. Definitely meant for one person, not a crew of builders."

"_Can you see where it leads to_?" Itachi asked.

Choji shook his head, then remembering his team couldn't see said, "No, it looks like it goes under the building, but I can't see too far, it's pitch black."

There were soft hums on the comms from Itachi and Shikamaru as they thought over what Choji had told them. "_Scout it out, Choji. If you can't find the end in five minutes, backtrack and we'll go down as a group_," Itachi decided.

"_Yeah, it sounds dodgy, but we've got this entire building to check. Can't waste time on a red herring_," Shikamaru agreed. "_Keep us posted if you find anything_."

"Alright," Choji nodded and headed into the hole, thankful there was enough room for him to slip inside.

The hole was by no means smooth, but a couple of firm thumps on the wall and ceiling had Choji convinced it would hold as he traversed slowly, pulling a torch out to light the way. As far as Choji could tell, it was made for someone taller than him, as the roof of the passageway was a good two heads above him, but that didn't give him any information on who or why.

Thankfully though the route did eventually end in wider space filled with mounds of what looked like wet dirt at first glance. Going over to investigate, Choji sighed. He thought he'd found something interesting but the walk down here was totally pointless. "It's a dud. There's nothing down here but a few piles of… huh, clay," he said, one hand on the comms and the other rubbing some of the clay between his fingers. Looking around, Choji tried to see if there was anything, _anything_ that justified this stupid hole.

His comms crackled horribly and Shikamaru's disjointed voice came out as mostly static. "'_D say? Cho-_"

"Damn. Signal must be being blocked by the concrete," Choji mumbled to himself. "Odd though, I could hear everyone just fine before and Itachi-sensei's outside…"

The comms continued to crackle as his team spoke, causing Choji to wince and turn the volume down a bit. He'd just head back and turn it up once he was on the main floor. No problem.

Choji tensed as footsteps sounded on the passage behind him.

* * *

Shikamaru sighed. He wasn't having much luck either. The top floor was split into two large rooms, one a lecture theatre, complete with lecterns and shaped to carry the voice of the speaker all the way to the top row. The second was a wide open hall Shikamaru assumed was for a small market fair or something similar, as he could see faint marks and numbers painted onto the floor and a number of poles and wooden planks to one side of the room.

The lectern had a locked drawer that soon gave way to Shikamaru's ministrations with a hairpin, but also revealed very little in the way of use. "There's nothing here, I'm gonna head to Choji. This floor's a total waste," he informed the team, locking the drawer on the lectern and making sure everything was as he'd found it before heading for the stairs.

"_'T's a 'd. There's… few… hay_," Choji's voice crackled.

"What'd you say, Choji?" He paused and put his hand to his ear, listening intently to the comms, but Choji didn't repeat himself. "Did anyone get that?"

"_No, sounded like he was planning a nap_," Ino huffed, papers still shuffling her end.

"_Choji? Are you there?_" Itachi asked softly. When Choji still hadn't replied, their Sensei spoke up again. "_Something down there must be jamming the signal._"

"Like magnets or something?" Shikamaru wondered, continuing his way down to the lower levels.

"_Possibly. I'd wager it's not the building itself since I can hear you two just fine, and the foundations shouldn't be thick enough to effect the comms_," Itachi replied with a thoughtful hum. "_How far are you from Choji's position, Shikamaru_?"

"Nearly there, I've just reached the bottom floor."

"_Good_. _Ino, keep searching, Shikamaru, bring Choji back up._"

Ino hummed an affirmation and Shikamaru mumbled a "Got it."

* * *

"_Do you think there's anything of use in the building_?" Ino asked over the comms.

"I'm not sure. I'd wager if there was anything there, it would be in the underground space with Choji," Itachi replied. "If the signal is being blocked, there must be a reason for it."

"_What kind of things could block the signal_?" Ino wondered.

Itachi had the distinct impression she was bored, or at least hiding any nervousness under a blanket of boredom. Not that he could blame her. Something wasn't quite right, and Itachi had yet to put his finger on it. "A few things. Distance being a main one. Chakra can also effect it."

"_Chakra? How_?"

"If it's moulded into a thick enough density, chakra can create a barrier that messes with electrical signals," Itachi explained.

Ino's tone betrayed her concern. "_Could… that happen here? If Tachihara's a ninja…_"

"It's a possibility, but my Sharingan can't see through walls, so I'd have to be there to know for sure," he admitted. "As to whether Tachihara could be a ninja, it's a possibility but with the mission ranking, our intel would have be severely out-dated for him to be more capable than a Chunin."

"_So what you're saying is not to worry because we can take him_?"

Itachi smiled, "Pretty much. Everything should be fine. Still. It doesn't hurt to be cautious. We'll wait for Choji and Shikamaru to come back into contact before leaving and return to scouting in the morning."

"_… Here… Guys there's someone else down here_!"

Itachi startled. "Shikamaru?!" But how? No one had approached the building. He'd seen no chakras anywhere in the vicinity…

Letting out a low growl, Itachi made a hand sign. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" A puff of smoke erupted and then beside him, a copy of himself appeared. "There must be another entrance tunnelled into the town hall. Shikamaru, did you get a look at the other person?"

"_No, they were already in the tunnel when I got there. I'm going back in to support Choji_!" Shikamaru reported at the same time Choji's voice crackled over the comms, sounding surprisingly calm.

"_Ah… Ino… 'ry… lost… time._"

"_Ch-Choji! I'm not down there!"_ Ino yelled.

"Damn it!" Itachi growled, he and his clone rushing towards the building.

* * *

Choji turned at the sound of footsteps, body tense. "H-hello?" He shifted his torch to the entrance as the newcomer arrived, light shining straight in the person's eyes. Long blonde hair tied up in a ponytail flashed and Choji relaxed. "Ah, it's just you, Ino. You scared me. Sorry, I must have lost track of time."

"Who the fuck is Ino, un?" A gruff voice shot back, startling Choji, "And get that fucking light out of my eyes you little shit, un!"

At the same time, Choji could just make the crackling of his comms. "_Ch'ji? 'M not…_" That was Ino's voice and as Choji shifted the light, he could only gawk at the figure – man – in front of him. He wasn't Ino at all, but at first glance, could be mistaken for her. Though now Choji was looking their hairstyles were different, the fringes falling over opposite eyes, which, while blue like Ino's weren't the same bright blue that smiled and radiated excitement. These eyes burned dark with anger and danger. The ninja's headband was also different, displaying the symbol for Iwagakure, not Choji also noticed the guy was wearing a teal yukata and pants, while Ino had come out in her usual purple shirt and skirt. Ino would probably kill him for the mix-up if he survived this encounter.

"Wh-who are you?"

"That's my question for you, you leaf village scum, un!" the man shot back. He looked about Itachi's age, but had none of the older teen's calm demeanour. And the odd way he ended his sentences… it was like some kind of tick or…

Choji jabbed a finger at him, "Speech impediment! You're Tachihara!"

The blonde glared at him. "The hell do you think you are, un? Pointing out someone's way of talkin' like it's a crime, un!" He put a hand in the bag at his hip and Choji reached for his kunai pouch, expecting a weapon from the strange ninja.

Instead, Tachihara threw his hand out – a hand that had a _mouth_ in the palm – and a beige centipede flew towards him. A burst of smoke coupled with a hand sign from Tachihara and the centipede became huge and wrapped its way around Choji's right arm. "Wah!" Choji cried in surprise, staring at the creature in horror.

"I wouldn't touch that if I were you," he warned as Choji raised his other hand to pull the sculpture off. "My clay is highly volatile - extremely explosive to spell it out for you, un. After all, the most beautiful art is the fleeting kind, un! It's a blast!" Tachihara yelled with a smile only to stiffen, hand halfway to making a seal, his face falling as he twitched, trying to look behind him.

"Ch-Choji, are you okay?" Shikamaru asked, his voice strained.

Choji lit up with hope, "Shikamaru! Boy am I glad to see you!"

"Just hurry up and get over here! This guy, he's fighting the Shadow Possession," Shikamaru grunted.

Tachihara growled, his movements getting stronger. "I'm gonna throttle both of you, but not before I blow this village sky high, un!"

Footsteps thudded higher up in the tunnel and Choji could make out Shikamaru trembling as he fought to keep his jutsu active.

"Choji! Shikamaru!"

"Itachi-sensei!"

Itachi leapt past Shikamaru just as Tachihara wrenched himself free, the blonde whirling to face Itachi only to stop dead as he met Itachi's Sharingan. "Beautiful…" the man mumbled to himself staring into the red orbs. Exactly what Itachi had always told his team never to do.

"Wh-what did you do to me, un?!" the bomber grunted, elbows locking against his sides as if he were trapped by something. He looked to Choji. Or more specifically, the centipede on his arm. "No, you shouldn't be able to control my creations, un!" He thrashed while Itachi made to move past him. "Katsu!"

"ARGHHH!"

"CHOJI!" Shikamaru and Itachi cried over the boy's shriek of pain as the clay centipede on his arm exploded, along with the other clay piles in the room. Shutting his eyes against the light and pain, Choji didn't see who grabbed him, only felt as he was carried away outside, the cool night air seeming to increase the burning of his arm.

He felt sick, his ears were ringing and the pain was like nothing he'd ever felt before, somehow even breathing seemed to hurt right now. Above him – when had he laid down? – voices called his name.

"Choji? Choji can you hear me?"

"Choji! Oh my god! What happened to his arm?"

"Look after Choji, that ninja isn't finished."

"N-ninja? Ah – wait! Is he flying!?"

The flow of conversation was making little sense, and so against his better instincts, which said he'd be better off napping, Choji opened his eyes. "Tachihara is… flying?" he mumbled, blinking harshly as his vision swam.

"Choji! You're alive!" Ino smiled, looking about ready to burst into tears.

"It's another of those clay things he made earlier," Shikamaru explained.

Before Choji could ask any more questions, Itachi cut in. "You three retreat. Get Choji back to the hotel and dunk his arm in cold water. That burn needs tending."

"What about you?" Shikamaru asked, looking up to their Sensei.

"Speech impediment, clay sculptures and explosions, no doubt," Itachi said his gaze on the sky above them. "He's an S-Rank missing nin from Iwagakure. Deidara."

"But… isn't he Tachihara?" Choji grunted, trying to sit up. Ino pushed him back down.

"It doesn't really matter either way at this point. I can't allow him to blow up the village." Itachi crouched low then disappeared in a flash, the only indication of him still being in the area was the sounds of many small explosions and the Iwa ninja shouting "Katsu!" and "Die you red-eyed fucker!".

* * *

No! It was happening again! Itachi grit his teeth, shuriken flying from his fingers at high speed. These… creations, his Sharingan showed they were infused with chakra, and they exploded on contact with his weapons, or at Deidara's command. His team was in danger again, but this time, Itachi swore none of those children would die! This time, he had the power to do something about it.

His Sharingan burned in the night, allowing him to keep on top of the clay bombs, but he couldn't get close to Deidara and the other ninja had pulled up high into the sky, giving him lots of distance with which to make bombs and keep Itachi at bay.

"Let's see you trap me in genjutsu this time, asshole, un!" Deidara yelled with mirth. "Now how about some super fast fliers, un!" From the smoke erupted two long thin birds with four wings. They flapped hard and fast. Too fast. Itachi span to the side, flinging shuriken after the first bird to keep them from his team, barely dodging the second bird only for a bunch of clay spiders to catch him from behind, exploding with a loud "Katsu!" from Deidara.

"Baaaargh!" Itachi grunted as he was thrown to the ground. No time for lying about though, as another round of tiny clay creatures came after him. "Damn it, you three! Get out of here!" he yelled at his Genin that _still weren't gone yet_. "That's an order!"

Raising his arms to protect his eyes against the explosions as they detonated, Itachi groaned, clutching his shoulder. Deidara's attacks were fast and calculated, changing the sizes and amount of chakra in the creatures so that even the small ones could be deadly. One of the spiders had managed to get onto his shoulder before it blew up, and though barely a few centimetres in size, blood clung to his fingers and stained his Jonin vest from the explosion.

The injuries had nothing on Choji though, whom he'd been unable to reach in time, too caught off guard by Deidara's certainty in his own power and fiercely reckless decision to blow up all of the clay in that underground cavern. The town hall was half-destroyed, his clone had been dissipated in the blast protecting Shikamaru and it really didn't seem like Deidara was running out of clay soon. All Itachi could hope was that none of the idiotic villagers tried to approach this place to add to the chaos.

* * *

"Come on, Choji," Shikamaru urged, helping the other boy to sit up. Choji whimpered as his arm was jarred and grimaced as he looked at the bloody mess. The bandages that usually covered his body were burned away, leaving the skin below broken, blistered and bloody. Fibres from his clothes were getting into the wounds and every movement flared the pain like a forest fire.

"This guy won't quit," Ino grimaced, letting off a flurry of her own shuriken to try keep a flurry of clay grasshoppers at bay while they got Choji moving. "The smaller ones are almost worse! I can barely see them!"

"Damn it, you three! Get out of here!" Itachi yelled over the explosions. "That's an order!"

Choji wobbled to his feet. "We need to protect this village."

"Choji, are you insane?!" Shikamaru shot. "Our orders are to fall back!"

"And anyway, what can you do? Your arm's in shreds!" Ino added.

Choji forced a grin, "What? This little scratch? It barely stings. Come on, let's help Itachi-sensei."

Ino balked, turning to face her teammate with wide eyes, "B-but…"

"If we don't stop this guy now, the whole village is in trouble, and those idiotic villagers will blame Konoha. I'm not letting that happen, so Tachi-dara goes down here!"

"Tachi-dara?" Shikamaru scoffed, standing up too. "That name's so dumb, those explosions must have muddled your brains."

"Are you seriously thinking this is okay?" Ino frowned, looking between her two comrades. Choji looked pale and ready to pass out at any moment, and Shikamaru was probably minutes away from going into shock. "We should just evacuate the village."

"Choji's right, those idiot villagers won't be happy if we leave it as is." Shikamaru looked to the sky, where he could just about make out the giant owl Deidara was riding. "That guy's staying way of Itachi-sensei's genjutsu range and the fact he can keep us so well back must mean he's a long-range fighter. If we can close the distance or at least distract him, it might give Itachi-sensei an opening."

"So we're banking on him being crap at close-range? That's not even the framework for a solid plan."

Shikamaru let loose a barrage of kunai, explosions lighting up the woods as Deidara's art detonated prematurely. "Either way, we need to move now."

Choji smiled for real this time. "I've even got a plan to get you two up there, so you better not mess it up."

Following Choji up onto the roof of what was left of the town hall, Choji didn't actually explain anything as he slowly worked his hands into the seals for his Human Boulder jutsu injured arm giving him grief as he moved his fingers and wrist. "Let's go!"

"Ah, Choji, wait!" Ino tried, "He'll just blow you away if you attack head on like this."

"Yeah, I know," Choji smiled. "But you two skinny-asses can't take the heat, so just use me as a boost okay? Time to show Itachi-sensei our InoShikaCho formation! Human Boulder!" Choji roared as he soared forward, torso expanding. His arms and limbs came inside the ball as he rotated, forcing himself to spin as hard as he could. Bombs exploded against his body and soon the force of the blasts forced his momentum to cease and fall back to the ground.

"C-Choji!" Itachi balked, staring at the young man willing throwing himself back into the firing line.

"Go guys! There's your opening!" At Choji's cry, Ino and Shikamaru leapt into the air, landing briefly on Choji.

"Are you sure this is okay?" Shikamaru asked Choji softly.

"It's fine. Just get that guy and rip him a new one."

"Got it. Let's go, Ino."

"Right." The two sprang up, sending Choji flying to the ground as his jutsu cancelled. Warm arms looped around Choji.

"You… _crazy_ _idiots_! Are you trying to get yourselves killed?" Itachi demanded, landing on the ground safely with Choji, lowering the injured boy to the grass and looking up in search of Ino and Shikamaru. They'd made it onto the owl and were trying to fight Deidara, but it seemed the man was just as capable of handling those two up close as he was at keeping Itachi at a distance.

"Damn it, stay still!" Ino yelled at Deidara as he weaved and dodged her punches. "I'm gonna get you back for blowing up Choji!"

Shikamaru weaved in time to her blows, moving to deal his own to Deidara in gaps. But even with their teamwork, Deidara was still able to escape, ducking out of the way and jumping off of his owl.

"Look if you guys want that perch so much, have it, un! Katsu!" He made a hand sign and the bird began to swell.

"What? This one too?!" Shikamaru growled, trying to leap away.

"Do they all explode?" Ino demanded, shielding her face as she jumped, the explosion sending them hurtling in different directions. "Shikamaru! Get your butt over here!"

Turning in mid-air Shikamaru saw Ino's hands shift to the final sign of her Mind Transfer jutsu. He twisted and rebounded off of one of the trees at the back of the town hall, back towards the roof. Landing, he weaved his own hand signs as he rolled, shadow shooting out in the moonlight to latch onto Ino's. "Did you get him, Ino?"

Explosions answered and Shikamaru could only assume she had missed as he Deidara made himself a new bird to fly above them on and Ino wasn't shouting in answer.

* * *

Down on the ground, Itachi checked on the new burns Choji had received. "Foolish boy, you should have left like I said." There wasn't much to be done now, but Choji would be lucky to only get away with a handful of scars. Choji twitched, unable to say a word so for how tightly he was clenching his jaw. Itachi sighed, taking quick assessment of how Ino and Shikamaru were doing before looking back to Choji. "Look at me. I can put you in a genjutsu to help with the pain, but you need to stop being so reckless," he said, running his hands through signs he hadn't needed to use in several years.

Once Choji met his gaze he let the jutsu flow, carefully dulling the pain centre in Choji's brain, watching as the boy visibly relaxed. "There. I won't take all of the discomfort away. If you forget that you're injured you could risk hurting yourself more."

Choji winced and slowly eased himself up. His team were reckless and apparently didn't follow orders, but still. He admired their tenacity, smiling reassuringly as Choji got his feet under him, looking resolutely to the bird in the sky. "Not giving up?"

"Hell no! I'm not letting those two go it alone. Just like we won't leave you to fight this guy alone," Choji barked, first clenched in determination.

Itachi smiled a little wider. "Well in that case, might I take over the planning? That horrific idea where you got assaulted by clay bombs has your signature all over it."

A snicker sounded over the comms, "_Yeah, that plan was Choji's_," came Shikamaru's lazy drawl, a somewhat strained tone edging his voice, accompanied by explosions. "_Ino failed her Mind Transfer, I'm looking after her body 'til she comes back, but I could use support up here_."

"I'm on it," Itachi replied weaving hands signs once more. "Fire Style: Fireball jutsu!" The night sky lit up as fire flew from Itachi's lips, curling itself into a massive ball, consuming the clay bombs in it's path towards Deidara. "Shikamaru, that building is too unstable, bring yourself and Ino down," he ordered as Deidara re-positioned himself to avoid Itachi's attack.

"Can't you just take him down with your fireballs?" Choji asked.

Itachi shook his head. "They're too slow and use up a lot of chakra. Against a foe who can move around quickly they're only useful as distractions. And even then, Deidara is smart. They won't keep him occupied for long."

Shikamaru and Ino landed beside them with a heavy thud, the former looking pretty tired. "Are you alright Shikamaru?" Itachi asked, noticing the boy's heavy breathing and sweat. Beside him Ino twitched and let out a soft groan.

"Better now," Shikamaru sighed, releasing his Shadow Possession. "You got bumped a couple of times, sorry, Ino, best I could do."

Ino smiled thinly, "It's fine. Thanks for looking after me." She stretched her body slowly, eyes on Deidara in the sky as he circled him on his bird. "How are you doing, Choji?"

"Sensei used a genjutsu, so I'll be fine for now. But It's probably not a good idea to draw this out."

"I concur," nodded Itachi. " The villagers of Bakugakure won't stay away forever. Ino, did you get inside him at all or miss entirely?"

"I missed, but I don't think he realised what I was trying to do," Ino reported.

"Alright, in that case we need to get around the next wave of bombs and engage him on his bird once more." Assents met his order, but Itachi froze as what he expected to be another swarm of small clay animals turned out to be something very different.

"My mission was just to blow up the town hall and cause some terror among the villagers, un," Deidara's voice came down to them as a single, densely chakra filled clay creature fell from his hands. Ino raised a kunai to flick at it and Itachi barely grabbed her arm to halt her in time. He was about to explain when Deidara expanded the clay figure, leaving it standing taller than any of Bakugakure's buildings. "This thing has enough chakra in it to blow _the entire village_ sky high, un! I call it C-3, un!"

"Wh-what?!" Shikamaru trembled, looking up at the crude humanoid clay model. It was less detailed than the others before it, and Itachi wondered if that was because Deidara had put utility over beauty. Not that it mattered.

"He's not lying, that thing has a huge amount of chakra. Ah, Ino-" The girl fell slack against him. Fainted? He lowered her to the ground, though didn't take his arms from around her as he racked his brain for a plan. How the hell were they supposed to disable that thing?!

Above, Deidara's laugher rang down. "Now, time for you all to see the beauty of my fleeting art, un! Ka-ah?!" The man grunted and Itachi narrowed his eyes. What was that? "Itachi-sensei!" Deidara cried suddenly, startling the group. "Hurry! Get this thing out of here somehow, I can't hold him back for long. His mind's really strong!"

"Ino?!" Choji cried in confusion, cranking his head up. "How did you? When?"

"No time for that, take the east and west sides, both of you and summon as much chakra as you can. I'll tell you what hand signs to make," Itachi snapped, leaving Ino's body behind and racing forwards.

Complying with their Sensei, it was another moment before Shikamaru and Choji were in place, time Itachi spent ordering Ino. "Hold on as long as you can, we need this thing as high as possible before it explodes. Once I give the word, cancel your jutsu and throw a kunai at the bomb, coat your hand in chakra before you throw it to increase the kunai's speed." He didn't want Deidara altering the bomb in anyway or detonating it prematurely.

"Hai!" Ino grunted. Itachi swallowed, praying she could hold out.

"Ready, Sensei!" came Choji's voice, bringing Itachi back to his own task.

"I, Inu, Tori, Tatsu, Uma, Hitsuji, Mi!" Weaving different signs from the ones he was dictating, and at a much faster speed, Itachi thrust his boar seal into the ground, loosening it and hopefully cushioning the blow they were about to deal the bomb enough not to triggerit. Summoning all of his remaining chakra, he ran through the seals he'd yelled at the boys. "Now slam your hands to the ground! Earth Style: Heavenly Pillar!" He could feel the chakra more than see it as all of his reserves went into the technique, deactivating his Sharingan in the process. A giant pillar of earth rose up under the C-3 and sent it hurtling towards the sky. Counting the seconds until it would clear Bakugakure's air space, Itachi called out at the earliest possible moment, "Ino! Now!"

The explosion that rocked the air was massive, causing a huge gust of wind to tear through the area, knocking Itachi to the ground. One long, tense second passed. Then another. His throat hurt from shouting and his limbs were on fire from the burn of using up all of his chakra, but Itachi forced himself to righten, coughing roughly as he looked around for any signs of Deidara. Nothing. The area was eerily calm. Or perhaps the explosion had deafened him.

Either way, it seemed they had won that round. Deidara couldn't be seen or heard, which was just as well, because Itachi had nothing left to give if the man had tried to continue the fight. He slumped back down on the ground and relaxed, not wanting to think of the repercussions or meanings of anything right now.


	8. Chapter 7: Return

Sorry for the long gap between chapters everyone. Post-Christmas I've been really unmotivated and distracted. I've started a couple of new series, and the openings made me think of fights I really want to write in this fic, so hopefully I can at least make it to the end of the Chuunin exams or to pre-Shippuden. Next chapter shouldn't be too long, I know where I need to go with it, just weighing up who's POV is best.

There should hopefully be very few errors in this chapter as I've read it over several times these last couple of months ^_^

* * *

The morning after was hell. All four of them were sore, irritated and dealing with the extra lethargy of using too much chakra the other day. Still, reports had to be made, particularly in the case of enemy ninja still at large in their boarders, so Itachi reluctantly bit his thumb and weaved hand signs for a summon.

A puff of smoke erupted in their cramped hotel room, drawing the attention of his tired Genin.

"Huh? A crow…" Ino mused from her bedroll, curled up inside it like a cocoon.

Shikamaru looked over from the bed, where he was helping Choji open a bag of crisps. "That was an animal summon right? So, you've made a contract with crows?"

"I'm sure Iruka-sensei will be pleased to know you paid so much attention in class," Itachi nodded, turning to the bird. "Kohaku, I need you to relay a message to the Hokage."

"Sure, 'Tachi. What's the message?" Kohaku chirped back, causing the children to stare more.

"There was a complication on the mission. Deidara of Iwa made contact and escaped. I still believe him to be in Hi no Kuni."

The crow tipped his head to the side. "That it?"

Itachi gave a small smile. "If he asks whether we'd like to retreat, I would very much like that."

Kohaku let out a caw that might have passed for a laugh. "Yeah you guys look like you got in quite the scrap. I haven't seen you so beat up in a while, 'Tachi."

Itachi blushed a little while his team scoffed. "Yes, well… Go on," he mumbled, gesturing to the open window.

Kohaku hopped up on the windowsill and turned his head to the children. "And what about you three? I can drop by your homes on my circle back. No offense, but 'Tachi doesn't seem in a rush."

"So long as the Hokage is spoken to first, I'm not," Itachi agreed tiredly, looking in his pack for his first aid kit. He'd patched up the worst of their injuries last night, but he'd woken to his bedroll stained with puss and blood, which meant he'd either misplaced some bandages, knocked them off in sleep or bled through. None of which were fun options, especially as they still had the trip home to do. With all its outdoor camping.

Being an Uchiha, burns were a common injury his family dealt with; as such Itachi carried balms and was able to diagnose the severity rather easily. Itachi had done what he could, and though Choji could still move his arm, Itachi worried about the blisters and deep tissue damage, knowing the burns weren't just surface deep, and if he'd actually treated Choji correctly since he clearly hadn't cared for his own injuries properly.

"Nah, if we're going back soon, there's no need to worry my parents about anything," Shikamaru said, Ino relaying much the same. Choji shifted in the bed a little in debate before also shaking his head.

"Nah, I don't want my folks freaking out. I'll talk to them in the village."

"Suit yourselves," Kohaku shrugged, flapping his wings and jumping out into the mid-morning light. Once he was gone and Itachi had located his bandages, he took care of himself before pushing to his feet and double checking Choji's injury.

"How are you feeling, Choji?" Itachi asked as he gingerly turned Choji's arm to examine the bandages.

"It's fine," Choji said. "It doesn't hurt much."

"That could be lingering effects from the genjutsu," Itachi argued. "I still want you to get it checked at the hospital."

"Urgh, fine."

"It's a strong technique, and you probably haven't been exposed to that much genjutsu," Itachi continued on. "I'm serious, Choji. The mind is a delicate thing; I was playing with your receptive ability, something you need for a solid career as a shinobi. And while I'm fairly confident in my abilities, I don't often use genjutsu on my comrades. I'm certainly no trained healer, everything I know is battlefield first aid."

"That's still training," Ino argued.

"Training to keep your insides inside long enough to get to a hospital," Itachi replied. "It's not long term. Your burns and your brain. Get them both checked."

"What about your injuries?" Shikamaru wondered. "You got beat up pretty badly too."

"I have reports to file first, but I'll get there eventually," Itachi nodded.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, "Talk about a hypocrite. What was that about making us go to the hospital straight away?"

"They'll put my arm in a sling and keep me overnight," Itachi argued, flapping his good arm. "Writing reports is a pain most of the time, but worse like that. I'm sure the nurses go out of their way to inconvenience ninja."

Ino chuckled. "Maybe they strap you up like that so you guys have to take it easy and heal."

Itachi shrugged the comment off while his team chuckled. She was probably right, but he would never admit it.

Blessedly Kohaku returned after noon to the room of tired ninja and informed them the Hokage was issuing orders to retreat. They packed up and made their way back to Konoha at a much steadier pace than they left.

* * *

Once Konoha's gates were in sight, Itachi spoke up, cutting through the relieved cheers the three Genin were making. "Going back to taking it easy, training is cancelled until Sunday. We'll assess how your injuries are doing and ease into routine again."

Choji punched the air victoriously. "Yeah-ah ow! Ow!" he whimpered, cringing and clutching his arm.

"Yeah, looks like a rest is definitely on the cards," Ino chuckled. Shikamaru patted Choji gently on the back.

"You three go check in at the hospital, I'll go to Lord Hokage and send your pay later."

"I don't suppose we get a raise for dealing with dangerous criminals?" Shikamaru asked.

Itachi gave him a sympathetic look, "I doubt it. But you get bragging rights for not being dead."

"Yeah, that's not gonna cut it," Choji complained, dragging his feet in the direction of the check in station.

"You guys look a mess, are you okay?" Izumo asked, eye wide at the dishevelled Genin and Itachi's bloody flak jacket.

"There were a lotta explosions," Choji mumbled, grabbing the pen in his bad hand. "Do we just sign in like we did to get out?"

"Uh… yeah," Izumo nodded, Kotetsu looking over his shoulder at the group in concern.

"'Kay," he mumbled and wrote his name with a wince. "If you see my pops before me, let him know I'm at the hospital."

"Same with us," Shikamaru said, taking the pen from Choji and signing himself in before passing it to Ino.

"Bye, Sensei!" Ino smiled, waving before catching up to the two boys, Choji in the middle of Shikamaru and herself.

"What happened?" Kotetsu blinked after the three before turning his confused gaze to Itachi.

"Our target turned out to be highly ranked in the Bingo Book," he explained, scrawling his name with an angry splodge at the end. He didn't elaborate as he walked away, more than ready to collapse on his bed once he made his report to the Hokage.

"You look quite worn, Itachi," the Third Hokage said in usual his gravelly tone. "Where are your team?"

"I'm fine, sir." Itachi shook his head slightly. "As for my team, they're getting patched up."

"Did your mission go awry?"

"To put it lightly," Itachi mumbled before straightening and replying at a proper volume, "We discovered who was behind the troubles in Bakugakure, however we were unable to avoid conflict. The village took damage and we were unable to detain the culprit."

The Hokage steepled his fingers and levelled Itachi with a stern look. "I find it hard to imagine that someone of your calibre should fail such a simple espionage mission, with a team more than suitably equipped. What more aren't you telling us?"

"The culprit was Deidara, an S-ranked missing nin from Iwagakure," Itachi explained. "He's a bomber for hire and confirmed he'd been tasked with causing trouble in Bakugakure. However, he seems to have a fuse as short as his explosives and attempted to blow up the entire village with a huge bomb. My team and I were able to remove it before it activated, however we used up all our chakra in doing so. There was no sign of Deidara in the area afterward and once I was able, I sent summons out to scout, but the trail was cold."

"I see. Well, it's inadvisable to send a Genin team after such a target," the Hokage reasoned. "I'll have the ANBU look into it and check the boarders." Behind the Hokage, just outside the window, a shadow flickered. One of the several ANBU lingering around the tower likely going to organise the search team. "Meanwhile I'll send someone by tomorrow to collect your report."

Itachi blinked in surprise. "Y-you don't have to do that, Lord Hokage."

"Nonsense. You look exhausted. Go, rest, gather your thoughts and maybe go to the hospital yourself," Lord Hiruzen said with a small smile. Itachi flushed and bid his goodbye, heading for his apartment rather than the hospital.

He woke to the sound of banging on his door. Groaning softly, Itachi rolled over and tried to ignore it. Ten more minutes. The banging increased.

"Open up, Uchiha, Konoha Police." Oh Itachi could die right now. Letting out a heavy sigh, he sat up rubbed his eyes.

"I'm putting on pants, Teiuchi," he called, not getting up off the bed.

"Open the door now or I'll break it down," was the response, which got Itachi moving, because Uchiha Teiuchi definitely would break his door down. Itachi answered the door to the stern man, hair greasy and limp around his shoulders and dressed in nothing bar his boxers and the bandages on his shoulder. Teiuchi, in his standard Konoha Police uniform, shot Itachi a dirty look. "It's past ten in the morning, why are you still in bed?" he growled.

Itachi didn't bother answering and turned from the door to find clean clothes. Teiuchi followed him in and leant on the wall, crossing his arms, dark eyes watching Itachi with disapproval.

"Should I assume I'm under arrest?" Itachi asked finding a shirt and pulling it over his head.

"Not unless you make me," Teiuchi allowed. "But you will need to come to the station."

"Oh?" He couldn't think of anything he'd done to warrant such action. Did his father need to see him? Was Shisui okay? He thought back to the way he'd signed his name on the sign in sheet and wondered if Shisui had had him called in to check if Itachi himself was okay.

Teiuchi didn't elaborate and nearly manhandled him out the door once Itachi was dressed. The older man made sure Itachi was in front of him all the way to the station, presumably so Itachi couldn't make a break for it. Not that he much fancied escaping. It was just the police station, even if he did really hate his family; there was nothing in there that could hurt him.

The Konoha Police Department was nearly entirely Uchiha run and as such on their land, though thankfully on the outskirts, as Itachi didn't much like being paraded through the district like a delinquent, even if that was the face he put on. While most of the clan knew what he had done and went along with the plan willingly, there were still some that disliked how Itachi had taken the decision of rebellion out of Uchiha hands and most of the younger members didn't even know Itachi had spared their lives by falling. The dark looks of his clansmen hurt and they didn't stop despite the relative privacy of the Police Department walls, necessary as they were for the Uchiha deception.

Spread across two levels the bottom level functioned as a welcoming area and lead into a small number of cells. Konoha didn't really have a prison so to speak, suspects were detained in the cells to the rear of the building and either released if innocent, sent to the Intelligence Ops in another location for questioning that usually ended in torture, or outright executed. The welcome desk was manned by three police officers of low rank that would either direct visitors to prison cells, file prisons into said cells, or record crimes reported by the public, escalating the case to be reviewed by another higher ranked officer if required. All other police officers were either on patrol in Konoha's streets or on the Police Department's second floor, which was a collection of office spaces and interview rooms.

Glares from the dark eyes of his clansmen and several from activated Sharingan came from every police officer he and Teiuchi encountered as they made their way up to the second floor.

Itachi was briefly surprised Shisui wasn't at his desk, and thought perhaps his friend was on another mission until he spotted the other Uchiha by a filing cabinet on the far side of the room looking haggard, though that was to be expected; Shisui hated paperwork.

"Itachi," a low voice grumbled, footsteps approaching. Itachi turned to the voice as Teiuchi bowed. "Interview room three, let's get this over with. Thank you, Teiuchi, back to work."

"Hai, Fugaku-danchou."

Following his father, head held high and hands in his pockets it took Itachi a moment to realise that interview room three was one with a two-way mirror. Anyone could be on the other side, which mean he still couldn't break character.

Fugaku plonked himself into one chair and flipped open a file he had brought with him as well as a notepad. "Sit down." The barest of chakra pluses exuded through the room as a second table appeared to one side, with Fugaku and Itachi already sat.

Turning to the table with Fugaku, Itachi settled himself while Fugaku rubbed his face tiredly. "I heard about what happened with Deidara, are you okay?" the genuine concern in his father's voice had Itachi soften, though their genjustu counterparts remained motionless.

"I'm fine, Father. Just… shaken," he admitted. Turning to the side he reached out and tapped his counterpart's elbow. That Itachi slouched in his seat and began conversing with the other Fugaku, looking like a rather petulant brat despite Itachi now being eighteen years old. "Why the genjutsu?"

"Lord Hokage mentioned that Danzo has had his people surgically reconstructed for deep cover missions before. It was something he never condoned, but Lord Hokage worried that because there's no coup, Danzo might infiltrate the clan directly and sew further seeds of discontent to press us again," Fugaku explained. "I trust my kin about most things, but if you want your peace to hold, the trust must be absolutely hidden."

Itachi nodded, resting his elbows on the table and putting his head in his hands. "He's a monster."

"Certainly his brain cells aren't there, much like your crazy S-Rank bomber," Fugaku mused, his tone light. "Anything I should know you aren't already telling me?" After all, the real genjutsu was Itachi and Fugaku acting how they wished, the reality was beside them, awkward, wooden and more than a little hostile.

"Deidara? Hmm, he was… driven." Itachi chuckled and looked to Fugaku with a smile. "Reckless, just like my students. I ordered them to flee and they did the exact opposite."

"I'm not sure comparing your team to an S-Ranked _criminal_ is a good thing, Itachi," Fugaku returned sternly.

"No, but I mean it in the most positive manner. They saw danger and refused to leave me behind. I commend that, but even more, they worked together seamlessly. Though… they do need to work on risk assessment," he sighed.

Fugaku chuckled. "You're referring to Choji? I heard from Choza that he's doing fine. And that your skill with genjutsu is, and I quote 'scary good'."

Itachi snorted.

"Was Deidara working for anyone you could identify?"

"No. There was no identifying insignia, I think it was a simple mission contract made with the bandits attacking Bakugakure, though you could try asking Ino if she knows more. She managed to catch him in her Mind Transfer jutsu."

"You didn't ask her?"

"I did, but she wasn't sure. Inoichi might have checked her memories for things she didn't catch?"

Fugaku hummed. "Perhaps. I'll go later today and inquire." He nodded and made a side note among all the ones recorded outside of the genjutsu. "Anything else you need to report?"

"How's Sasuke?"

"On his first C-Rank with his team. Hopefully the same thing doesn't happen to him," Fugaku replied with an easy smile.

"Misranked missions are rare, especially such a jump as mine," Itachi reasoned. "Where's he off to?"

"The Land of Waves. They're escorting a bridge builder."

Itachi blinked. "Really?"

"Yeah, I saw them on the way out. The bridge builder's a drunk. Sasuke will spend more time keeping his team from being killed by building equipment than anything else. That's my bet."

Itachi chuckled. He hoped that would be the case. As much as he hoped Sasuke would grow into his ninja role as well as his place as Clan heir, he also wanted Sasuke to have a softer start to his shinobi career than Itachi himself had had. On a battlefield at age 4 and seeing the death of a comrade only four years later… that was no life for a child. And while Sasuke had graduated six years later than Itachi, that didn't necessarily mean he was more emotionally prepared.

"Well, I think we're done here." Fugaku rose from his chair. Itachi stood too, only to be quickly pulled into a hug by Fugaku. "I'm glad you're okay. Stay safe, son."

Itachi's hands rose to return the gesture. "You too, Father." It might have hurt that he and his father could only be honest in a genjutsu world, but almost strangely, Itachi had never felt closer to Fugaku. When he had lived under the man's roof, they rarely talked beyond missions and reports. Itachi had been perfectly happy with his own company, or spoiling Sasuke in Fugaku's place and didn't bother his family with his thoughts and concerns because he had Shisui to confide in. He'd also admittedly been very arrogant in his abilities, and thought more than a few of the Uchiha higher ups complete and utter morons, his father dipping in and out of that consideration as the years passed.

Now though, on the occasions they met, Fugaku asked after his wellbeing, they treated each other as people, equals needed to keep Konoha's peace. It was strange, but not bad. Pushing chakra into his eyes, Itachi dispelled the genjutsu with his Sharingan. The sensation of his father's warm embrace evaporated, replaced by the hard wooden chair pressing into his slouched spine.

Shoving himself up, Itachi looked to the door. "Well, I think that's everything. If you don't mind, Fugaku, I'll be going." He didn't look back or wait for permission to be dismissed. Not five minutes after he'd left the station, a shadow shifted to his side. Turning his head his eyes met Sharingan and the world slipped away for a moment.

There was no light, no sound until Shisui's voice said to him from everywhere at once. "One week from now, your old training ground."

Then suddenly the world was at rights and Itachi didn't break his stride, continuing on his way home, where he showered and after a look in the barren cupboards, resigned himself to needing to go shopping.

* * *

Sunday rolled around and Itachi got the sense his team was in that awkward stage of being mostly if not fully recovered, but used to the brief pause in training. They weren't eager to go back to their regime, but they were obviously itching to do something. Choji's arm was still in a sling, but he'd been given the all clear to train and just to be careful while the skin continued to recover.

"So… what are we going to do today?" Ino asked hesitantly, looking around the clearing. Itachi had sent a summons a couple of hours ago informing them to meet at Training Ground Five, which consisted of a large lake surrounded by pockets of forest and boulders.

"Do you all remember how you learned to walk up trees?" Itachi asked, turning so his back was to the water. The three Genin nodded and Itachi pointed to the trees around them. "Show me then. Pause at halfway up the trunk."

There were raised eyebrows of doubt and suspicion, and Itachi felt a faint spark of pride that his team were obeying, while glancing over their shoulders at him like Itachi was going to suddenly change the task to something hard and possibly life threatening.

Ino jumped to the halfway point, twisting gracefully and landed in a crouch against the tree trunk, Shikamaru doing the same, while Choji walked up the tree to take his position. Itachi gave it a moment, checking their stability and activating his Sharingan to better assess their chakra control. There was very little of it going to waste. Itachi nodded to himself, feeling the three could cope with the next level.

"Good. Now you may already know this, but the tree climbing technique can be applied to other surfaces. One of which is water." Here, Itachi sprang from the ground and back flipped to land in the middle of the lake. He leisurely made his way back to the shore, pausing several feet away to sit down on the surface, placing his hand on the water to show his team that the technique worked with other limbs, as Shikamaru and Ino had tried when learning to walk up trees. "I want to get on to evasive manoeuvres, but I'd like you to learn to walk on water too. Both skills are important if you want to progress in the Chuunin Exams."

"So… you're putting us in for them?" Choji asked.

"Yes, there's a meeting between Jonin Sensei and Lord Hokage this evening. I'll be putting your names forward, then handing the paperwork out."

"We're still allowed? After disobeying orders on the mission?" Shikamaru asked, jumping down and coming to the water's edge.

"Yeah, we only got half pay," Ino pointed out, "because Bakugakure town hall was damaged."

"And Deidara escaped," Choji added with a frown.

Ino pouted. "So what? I'll bet the report to Bakugakure was fluffed like we killed the bandits."

Itachi ignored the segue, "Yes, you can still compete. It isn't about missions completed, but experience. I believe the skills you demonstrated in Bakugakure are sufficient enough to be considered for Chuunin status." Though it wasn't a certainty that they would succeed, it would be a valuable assessment of their skills compared to that of their peers. And Itachi would be lying if he didn't want to enter his team for the selfish reason of seeing Sasuke participate. To see how much his little brother had grown. "But back to the task at hand. Walk on water. Please," Itachi said, gesturing before him.

"Yeah… can we… not?" Ino tried.

"Well, you either walk on water or I set up a series of forest ambushes."

"Y-y'know what?" Choji started. "I fancy walking on water."

"Me too," Ino nodded hurriedly.

Shikamaru paled, "Yep, I'm up for a swim."

Itachi held back a chuckle as the three gathered to the shore and started to test the water with their hands.

"Okay, so, like before chakra resists the surface," Shikamaru mused.

"Not enough. My hand's all wet," Choji complained.

Ino frowned and caught Itachi's gaze. "Did you cheat this out with Sharingan?"

Itachi blinked. "Why would I do that?"

"To copy the technique and learn it straight away," Ino replied.

"Yeah, we've seen your eyes go red during training a bunch," added Choji, "That's the Sharingan right?"

"Uhm, well yes, that's the Sharingan, but I don't use it like that. I learned tree and water walking without it since I didn't unlock the Sharingan until a few years later," Itachi explained. "I use it in training to check your chakra levels so I don't push you too much."

"Really? You seem like the type that would know all your clan's jutsu and abilities by the time you could walk," Shikamaru said, putting his hand further into the water and frowning at it as though it would tell him the secrets of the universe.

Itachi smiled, "Nope. I could do the Fireball jutsu and my cousin taught me sleight of hand when I was bunking off the academy. But no Sharingan."

"Ooh, Sensei's a rebel, ditching classes," Ino teased.

Choji frowned, "Wish we could skip training."

"You can if you don't get caught doing it," Itachi said, giving a small chuckle. "I used to send a Shadow Clone to the academy."

Choji flushed, "Y-yeah, but you'd know if I sent a clone. Your Sharingan would see it."

"There are other ways to cheat it. The Sharingan isn't infallible. It's one of the things that annoys me most about the Uchiha. They act like it makes them gods. The Hyuuga do too, but I have to deal with them less in general," he added, shifting to stand on his hands on the water. Slowly, he took the weight of his injured arm, tucked his hand behind his back and started to do push ups. The shoulder was mostly healed, but the joint was still stiff and throbbed with pain as it scabbed over and repaired itself.

"So you don't think you're better than us because you can learn our Hiden justu with a single look?" Shikamaru asked, his tone betraying his sarcasm.

"Not at all. I respect your hard work," said Itachi. "And just because I know the jutsu's fundamentals by using my Sharingan to copy it doesn't mean I can use it perfectly outright," he explained as his ponytail flopped over his shoulder, the tip dipping into the water with each push up. Itachi resigned himself to a wet jacket later since he didn't fancy expending the chakra needed to keep it dry. "I have to anticipate the amount of chakra used, whether the user I copied was even proficient with the jutsu, manage the area of effect and find optimal positions to activate the jutsu in, just like you would, except I often don't have the contextual information of being told a jutsu's pros and cons. It could be a jutsu I copied is perfectly fine in a large space, but I discover is utterly useless in a small space and can't even be modified for small-scale use."

Shikamaru nodded, gaze flickering between the water and Itachi. "What other limits do you have?"

"The Sharingan can't be used to copy other bloodline abilities, I can mimic chakra patterns and movements, but things so ingrained in DNA can't be replicated. Also if a person doesn't look a Sharingan user in the eye, it's much harder to trap them in genjutsu. I can do it because I specialise in genjutsu like Kurenai-sensei and have other ways of trapping someone than eye contact. But Sharingan users usually don't learn more complex genjutsu because their eyes allow users to perform a complex genjutsu with no seals."

Choji groaned, "I didn't follow a word of that."

Chuckling, Itachi summarised, "Don't look in their eyes, if you're worried, pulse your chakra to break any illusions. Better to be overcautious than trapped."

"So just say it like that."

"Aw, but I like being oblique."

"If you're obese I'd hate to know what you think of me," Choji mumbled, shoving his hand on the water sadly, drenching his hand.

Sighing, Itachi got back to his feet and walked over, crouching before Choji. Raising one hand Itachi poked Choji in the forehead with two fingers. "Oblique. It means indirect or doing something in a roundabout way. You're fine just as you are, Choji," he assured, smiling softly.

"Ow. Why are you always doing that anyway?" Choji complained, hand over his headband.

"Because you don't need to worry about unnecessary things. Now, back to the task at hand."


	9. Chapter 8: Recommendation

The country I'm in is currently in lockdown so I'll probably be getting more chapters out over the next month or two. Sorry this one took a while, I was in Japan for a couple of weeks at the start of the month and typing a fic out on a tablet while also being out most of the day is very hard.

* * *

"Now that you all have gathered, Jonin Sensei, I would like to hear your recommendations for the Chuunin exams."

The Hokage looked around the ninja sat in the room, most were Jonin, but there were also Chuunin ninja that would be participating in the exams too. A beat of silence followed.

"I'd like to put forward my team for selection, Hokage-sama," Itachi said, hoping no one would challenge him on it.

"What after you nearly got Choji killed?" Iruka balked, half-standing up from his kneeled position.

"Choji is fine. You're exaggerating."

"You and Kakashi are irresponsible!" Iruka argued, "Sasuke was heavily injured in his last mission too. They only graduated two months ago; they should not be exposed to such danger!"

"If not now, when Iruka-sensei?" Kakashi asked flatly.

Sasuke had been hurt on his mission? Itachi fought to keep his expression neutral. Yes, he was worried about Sasuke, but here was not the place to comment. Certainly he couldn't argue with Kakashi.

"Both were mistakes on the client end," Hiruzen broke in, drawing attention back to himself. "I accept your recommendation, Itachi-sensei. Anyone else?"

"Yes, I'd also like my team to participate," Kakashi said with the barest hint of smugness, his visible eye still looking at Iruka. Kurenai raised her hand and recommended her team followed by a ninja in a green jumpsuit with garish orange legwarmers and an ugly bowl cut. Itachi knew him by sight as Might Gai, but generally avoided any and all contact with the man or the smaller copy of Gai that followed him around like the beginnings of a cult.

"Alright. Please deliver the application forms to your students. As they progress through the examinations, further instructions will be provided. Your teams are still permitted to go on missions, but I would recommend against it. If they are absent for any part of the exams it is instant failure," Hiruzen explained. "I would also appreciate it if all of you could be welcoming to the foreign ninja coming to Konoha to take the exams. However, do not forget to be vigilant. Intelligence suggests the Village Hidden in the Sound, of which we have one participating team, is linked to Orochimaru."

Itachi's lip curled. Orochimaru was supposedly one of the three legendary Sannin, the students of the Third Hokage. However, the only memories Itachi had of the man were of a pale creep that had been lusting over his body. He'd only been young when Orochimaru had left the village, so Itachi made a mental note to ask about the man if he was going to suddenly become relevant again.

He sent the forms via summoning crow and made his way to Kakashi's home. It didn't cross Itachi's mind as to whether his fellow ninja would be there or not as it did not matter. He knocked politely on the door and after a minute of waiting, Itachi let himself in with a gentle tendril of chakra into the lock, shifting the pins and allowing him into the room beyond.

Unlike Itachi's own, Kakashi had furnished his apartment with pictures and bookcases, though most appeared empty bar the shelf above his bed, where Icha Icha Paradise stood out beside a few other novels and pictures of Kakashi's Genin teams; one where he was a Genin himself with Nohara Rin, Uchiha Obito and the man who later became the Fourth Hokage Namikaze Minato. The other was his current team. In both, it was the Kunoichi that seemed the happiest to be in the team and after a slightly longer look, the further similarities were very apparent. Kakashi and Minato were in the same pose, a hand on each of the male team member's head, the Uchiha of the group was on the left. It seemed as well that both pictures were taken in the same location.

He didn't bother flicking on a light, instead taking a seat at Kakashi's desk which stood to the right of the bed and had a bulletin board on the wall, with notes such as when the rubbish collection was and reminders of when the next Icha Icha novel was being released.

Itachi didn't have to wait long for Kakashi to appear, the older ninja opening his door with the key like any normal human being.

"Well, this feels familiar," he noted a paper bag of groceries in hand. "And somewhat more malicious in the dark."

"Mr Ukki is bigger than when I was here last," Itachi said, pointing to the plant beside the team pictures, where the title 'Ukki-san' was written onto the pot.

Kakashi turned his head to survey the plant too. "I suppose he is. If you came to check up on my gardening ability, that's just creepy," he added, his visible eye displaying a remarkable amount of disgust. "What do you want?"

"I want to know why we both nearly got our teams killed despite our qualifications."

"Oh?" Kakashi paused in his step, presumably he had been about to ignore Itachi in favour of storing his shopping away. Instead, he now dropped the bag unceremoniously on the desk by Itachi and took a seat on his bed. "I suppose it is a curious situation. It'd be coincidence if it was only one of us."

"But both makes a correlation," Itachi agreed. "Will you tell me about your mission?"

"So long as you tell me about yours," Kakashi allowed. While the two didn't explicitly like one another, they were both efficient in their explanations. After his own mission summary, Kakashi went on to explain how his team had been almost constantly assaulted on their way to the Land of Waves.

"The second time we fought Zabuza, his brat joined the fray, matching up against Sasuke. I couldn't see the details as Zabuza was using a mist jutsu to make the Sharingan harder to use, but the kid also had a kekkei genkai. Ice transformation."

Itachi hummed, hand on his chin, "You mentioned Naruto was asleep when you left that morning, did he join you later?"

"Yes, he and Sasuke fought against the boy, Haku. I believe something happened that caused strain to Naruto's seal, though I can't prove it," Kakashi said. "His seal isn't visible most of the time."

"Probably linked to the kyuubi's chakra."

Kakashi nodded, "Kushina mentioned jinchuriki often have similar seals that allow for the host's and beast's chakras to mix. She never showed me hers, but I wouldn't be surprised to find Naruto's is the same."

"Would you consider it reasonable to say Naruto's awakening saved your team?"

"Not at all. I bested Zabuza and Haku jumped into the path of my Raikiri without instruction as I attempted to finish Zabuza off," Kakashi explained. "Though I would consider it reasonable to say that Naruto saved himself and Sasuke. But I would have gotten there sooner if his chakra hadn't skyrocketed."

Itachi chewed on his lip slightly, not the answer he wanted to hear, but it was fine. They needed to let the children grow, if it was possible even under dangerous circumstances, it was their duty as Jonin Sensei to do so.

"You mentioned your team ignored a direct order to retreat. Are you sure they're ready for what's ahead?" Kakashi asked, breaking Itachi's train of thought.

"I really don't know what I would have done if Ino hadn't bought us those precious seconds at the end. And I have no idea if I would have been able to defeat Deidara had they left," Itachi admitted. "But I think they can manage. Their teamwork is impeccable."

Kakashi put a finger to his chin. "If we take the stance that our teams nearly died because they were targeted, who do we assume the culprit was? And is that person the same for both teams?"

"It's possible. I had a fleeting thought it could be Orochimaru."

Kakashi tipped his head curiously. "Oh? Why him?"

Itachi considered his words, "He had an… obsession with me when I was younger. I believe what he was really after was the Sharingan."

"Something like that would sound about right. I heard a lot of rumours back in the day that he was obsessed with learning all the jutsu in the world. A Sharingan or two would certainly help that venture." Kakashi agreed, adding slowly, "It's also possible since Sound will be bringing ninja into the village that he could try again."

Itachi frowned. "How? We'll be with the other Sensei and on guard simply because outsiders are in the village."

"Because the target may not be us. Sasuke unlocked his Sharingan during his fight with Haku," Kakashi explained. "If there's a team from Sound in the exams, they may target Sasuke instead."

Itachi's lip twisted in displeasure. Well that was a rather large detail to miss out. Still, by now Sasuke would have told his parents about his Sharingan, which means he would be aware of people trying to take it and the jutsus that seal it. Sasuke would also be invited to Clan meetings, which could have… interesting consequences. Being the heir didn't make him any less of a child in that space, something that had annoyed Itachi to no end.

"What else do you know about Orochimaru?"

"Nothing really. Anko was his student, but I doubt she knows much about him either," Kakashi shrugged. "He was ousted from the village a little bit after the Third Ninja War due to inhumane experimentation."

"What kind of experiments?"

"I'm not sure on the details, but Orochimaru killed a lot of children trying to implant some kind of power in them." Kakashi raised a finger and pointed at the juncture between the back of his neck and his shoulder. "Anko has a mark around here that sometimes alters her chakra flow in an unnatural manner. Apparently as a Genin she woke up after passing out in pain to a room full of ninja her age with similar marks, but they were all dead. Only she survived."

"Well that's disturbing." Sitting back, Itachi crossed his arms. "I don't remember hearing about any ANBU teams tracking Orochimaru either." This lack of intel was… unnatural. Sure, their intelligence network wasn't infallible, but how did no one notice children going missing, winding up dead and then _not_ track the bastard that did it?

"I don't think anyone was. Or the teams that did were killed," Kakashi shrugged. "I have a theory it's just a Sannin thing."

"A what?"

"The Sannin were all Lord Third's students. When Orochimaru left, Jiraya followed. I think Lord Hokage ordered no one to pursue because he thinks Jiraya is handling it."

"Jiraya? As in _that_ Jiraya?" Itachi asked jabbing a finger at the Icha Icha book on Kakashi's bookcase, his tone dripping with disbelief.

Kakashi seemed unphased. "I'm not saying it's the case. It could be there are people watching Orochimaru and we don't know. It could be that Root was handling that back in our ANBU days." Sadly as ex-ANBU, they both knew it wasn't their place to ask. ANBU agents were often given classified missions that couldn't be spoken about to anyone but Lord Hokage himself. Itachi's time spying on the Uchiha being one such mission.

Sensing that was the end of the conversation, Itachi rose from his chair and turned to leave.

"Itachi," Kakashi called, Itachi pausing mid-step in the doorway. Silence followed so Itachi turned, barely catching a book as it was thrown at his face. "You should read that. It might drag the stick out of your ass."

Moving the book so he could see the title, Itachi turned beat red. "Y-you shitty pervert! Why would I read this!?"

"It holds information about the great secrets in life. Goodnight Itachi-Sensei," Kakashi bid, his tone suggesting a smile before he slammed the door in Itachi's face.

Itachi trembled in a mixture of utter shock and anger. Icha Icha Paradise's cover dented slightly in his grip. "Damn you Kakashi," he muttered, spinning on his heel, shoving the book in his back pouch as he went. He would rather die than be caught with erotica in public.

* * *

A week later at the designated time, Itachi slipped into his old training ground on high alert. He kept his chakra low and his senses high for other presences. Shisui was already there waiting for him on the rock Itachi used to hide targets behind.

Spotting his friend, Shisui smiled and waved.

"You seem in high spirits," Itachi commented, a smile working its way onto his face too.

"What can I say, I miss your face," Shisui said, jumping down to meet Itachi. "Sasuke has his Sharingan now."

"Yes, I'd heard from Kakashi."

"Oh? Are you getting along with the other Jonin Sensei then?"

"More like being forced to socialise with them," Itachi huffed. "I'm slowly plotting Kakashi's purely accidental murder."

Shisui laughed, throwing his head back in amusement. "Well, in all seriousness. You look like you're doing okay. I was worried when I saw the sign in sheet."

"You'd be frazzled too after being exploded in the dark and trying to tape up a twelve year old with third degree burns for an arm."

Shisui winced. "That does genuinely sound awful. I read your report after you left the station," he continued. "We should have known Deidara was in our boarders."

Itachi raised an eyebrow, "You looked into it?"

"There's a number of small but similar discrepancies over the decades. Missing information where our ninja were involved at one point in time, but there was no follow up or the people that could corroborate the story are dead. They're quite well hidden; most are from the wars, periods where records weren't as easily kept or involve areas out of Konoha's jurisdiction."

"Those discrepancies would be random chance at best. What have you got that links them?" Itachi wondered.

"Danzo." Noticing Itachi's drawn eyebrows, Shisui added, "You seem surprised."

"I thought you might say Orochimaru. He seems to be the flavour of the month right now."

"With that Sound Village team that's wandering around? Nah. But Danzo's got links to Orochimaru, so I suppose it's possible. Just, Orochimaru wouldn't have any interest or ability to censor our intelligence network."

Frowning, Itachi asked, "Wait, go back. How are Orochimaru and Danzo connected?"

"Danzo put Orochimaru forward for the position of Fourth Hokage. Obviously he didn't get it and not long after he left the village after getting caught in a secret base doing creepy experiments," Shisui explained. "Knowing that, I started thinking that Danzo could be manipulating the flow of information to better suit his agenda. Sure enough I see records of events not lining up with the truth of the matter."

"So this goes beyond the coup?"

"Oh definitely. The Man Who Can't Be Hokage just manipulates the world from the shadows instead."

"Can you prove anything?"

Shisui shook his head. "No, the signs aren't even there unless you're specifically looking for them."

"Can you draw up a list of incidents?"

"I can try, but it'll be hard. I get to look through more files now while being off police duty, but if I take too many or the wrong one, that will send intel to Root that we're onto them. At best I can get you something in a month, but it'll only be as good as 'I think Danzo was here' or 'someone's uncle's friend's cousin's wife saw a thing that could be a ANBU shadow or a particularly violent leaf six years ago at the equinox of Tuesday'."

It was better than nothing, and Itachi trusted Shisui's skill implicitly. "Well, let's hope it was sunny on the equinox of Tuesday."

Shisui smirked and shook his head a little. "We can hope. Have you looked into anything on your end?"

"Sort of. When I was speaking to Kakashi before, we theorised Sasuke could be targeted in the Chuunin exams. If they use the Forest of Death as they did during my Chuunin exams, it would be the perfect area for an ambush."

"Sasuke will be expecting it in that area though," argued Shisui, "The main point of that task is to fight the other teams to gain scrolls of heaven and earth. Unless. You're concerned about people other than the Genin getting in?"

"Exactly. I know people will be watching and there will be a Jonin area but all the same… I can't shake the feeling something will happen."

Shisui reached out and squeezed Itachi's shoulder. "You're being a good brother. It's natural to worry about him, Itachi. But Sasuke can manage. He's been doing missions for your father over the years. He knows how to protect himself and he'll have his teammates there too. It'll be okay."

Itachi wasn't totally convinced but he forced himself to accept the situation. He couldn't protect Sasuke all of the time, and Shisui was right. Sasuke was strong, and he would no doubt get stronger as his Sharingan developed. Be able to protect his friends.

Again Tenma's blood-stained form flashed before his eyes. And the strange masked man that had brought it about. Sasuke was already better than he was back then. His team was still alive and together. They'd be okay, Itachi had to believe in that.

* * *

"Room 301 by four PM…" Ino hummed checking the Chuunin application form once more.

"I didn't think the Academy _had_ a room 301," Choji mumbled as they walked through the entryway to the ninja academy. It wasn't a school day, so there weren't any children around, which meant anyone they came across was likely taking part in the exams.

"They probably changed the signage or something so we wouldn't have home advantage," Shikamaru yawned. "It's gonna be such a drag."

"The bigger drag is Itachi-sensei making us train before we came out," Choji insisted as he fumbled with a bag of crisps. Rolling her eyes, Ino whipped the bag out of Choji's fingers and opened it for him before returning them. "Thank you, Ino~." Choji sang.

"Yeah, yeah, just keep your eye out for the room."

As they wandered through the hall and ascended the stairs they came across a small crowd of people trying to get into a room.

"Number… 301. This is it," Choji said, rising up on his tip toes to see what the ruckus was.

"I could have sworn we only went up one flight of stairs…" Ino frowned. Beside her, Shikamaru looked around also unsure.

"No way it's that easy." Bringing his fingers together into the ram seal, he released a small burst of chakra, more than enough to remove any genjutsu, something his team had long become paranoid about as it was one of Itachi's favourite techniques. Sure enough the next time he looked at the sign above the room everyone wanted to enter, it said 201, not 301.

"It's not that easy, looks like there's two guys beating up anyone trying to get in," Choji noted.

"Probably a fake out. Look again," Shikamaru said, touching Choji on the shoulder and letting out a burst of chakra. "Ino it's genjutsu."

Ino quickly made a release seal and frowned at the sign. "I guess the academy layout is the same as normal then?"

"Seems like it. Let's go upstairs."

"Is it okay to leave those guys there?" Choji asked, looking over his shoulder.

"I don't see why not, genjutsu's easy to break out of," Ino reasoned. "Lots of people probably figured it out."

"Well, maybe. But not every team has a Shikamaru."

Shikamaru smirked. "Nope, I'm totally special."

"A special kind of lazy maybe," a familiar voice called from the end of the hall.

"Ah! Itachi-sensei!" Itachi smiled slightly and waved from his perch on the windowsill.

"What're you doing here?" Shikamaru asked.

"I wanted to see if you all turned up. I'm glad you did," he added, "You see, you need a three man cell to participate in the exams."

"Nice of you to tell us before we came," Ino huffed.

"To be fair, neither did our parents," Choji consoled.

"Not the point."

Itachi raised his voice, drawing attention back to himself, "Alright, alright, enough." He tipped his head to the door. "Get in there and make yourselves comfortable. I'll see you outside when you're done."

Choji raised his eyebrow, "You're not going to wish us luck?"

"I don't need to, I have every faith you'll pass here, but if it makes you feel better, best of luck, Choji."

Choji smiled and shot Itachi a thumbs up, then turned on his heel to catch up to Ino and Shikamaru who were waiting, each with a hand on the door. "Let's go!"

Opening the door to the assembly hall, it was laid out like a normal classroom but on a larger scale, with easily over one hundred desks. Only the first few rows were filled up and only a handful weren't wearing Konoha headbands. The ninja that were there already though turned to regard the three rookies intently, their gazes dark.

"Who let the brats in?" asked one.

"That fat one looks like he's going to piss his pants," commented another.

Shikamaru nudged his friends, "Let's go over there. Kiba said he got recommended too so their team will be here soon."

"I really wish we hadn't come three hours early now," Choji mumbled, sitting in the corner as Shikamaru suggested.

"It'll be okay, Choji, ignore them," Ino encouraged.

Shikamaru got up on the desk and made a show of yawning. "I'm gonna nap until this starts." Laying down he turned to raise an eyebrow at Choji.

"I think I'll watch the clouds. I'll nudge you if there's a particularly good one."

Shikamaru smirked. "Sounds good to me."

Ino rolled her eyes, "You two are so relaxed. I wish I'd brought a book."

More comments about their childishness and inexperience rose, but so did a couple of comments of doubt. "They wouldn't be so calm unless they were either completely naïve or completely prepared," and variations thereof could be heard more than once.

It was the most awkward three hours of their lives, broken up by more much older ninja entering, finding seats and muttering amongst themselves until a single group entered an hour later, which wasn't unusual, but the sudden change in the air snapped Shikamaru out of his daze. He sat up slowly and looked to the door, spotting three ninja with unfamiliar headbands.

"Suna ninja," Ino provided softly, also looking over. One was dressed in a black one-piece with a weird cat hood and purple facial markings with some kind of item on his back covered in bandages, the next was a blonde with her hair separated into four ponytails and wore a lilac dress over mesh armour with a sash around the middle and a large folding fan strapped to her back. Finally between them was a shorter boy with red hair and dark bags around his eyes. He looked quite plain in his black shirt over ninja mesh and plain dark pants. It looked as though he had a huge gourd strapped to his back with a strange leather harness and white strip of fabric. But it wasn't their appearance that had caught Team Ten's attention. It was the killing intent the little one was giving off. It was stifling.

"Let's… not get their bad side," Choji suggested his voice hardly louder than breathing. Silently, Shikamaru agreed. This guy was worse news than Deidara.

With barely half an hour to spare, a larger group of ninja arrived, amongst them was Team Seven.

"Sasuke!" Ino ran over and threw her arms around the boy. "I thought you guys were never going to show!"

"So you signed up for this too?" Shikamaru asked Naruto, coming over to greet them, hands in his pockets.

"Hell yeah! Believe it!"

"Shikamaru! There you are!" Shikamaru and Naruto turned to the voice, showing the last of the rookie Konoha teams, Team 8. "And the blonde shrimp too!"

"Hey Kiba!" Naruto greeted, the insult sliding off him. Kiba was a boy about Shikamaru's height with a head of shaggy brown hair hidden under his fur trimmed hoodie. Like Choji he had facial tattoos common for his clan in the shape of two red triangles going from his eyes to point at his chin. A bark drew attention to Kiba's puppy, Akamaru, who as far as Shikamaru knew, lived either on Kiba's head, as he was now, or in the front of Kiba's hoodie.

Either side of him were Shino, a quiet boy from the Aburame Clan who all wore big jackets and goggles over their eyes, Shino being no different, and Hinata, who was prone to stammering and seemed to be staring at Naruto with her lavender eyes, trying to find something to say.

"Hey, Hinata, you came too?" Choji said, smiling. "Well done, you're super smart so I'll be they make you Chuunin."

Hinata turned her head, a blush forming on her cheeks, "Aa-ah, th-thank you, Choji."

"Looks like the nine rookies of the leaf are all here then," Shino noted. "I wonder who among us will succeed?"

"We did a bunch of training, our team's totally going to pass!" Kiba declared.

"Training isn't everything if you don't know how to put it into practise," Sasuke jabbed, having finally extracted himself from Ino.

"YEAH! Like hell we'll lose to you!" Naruto roared.

"Sorry, N-Naruto, Kiba didn't mean it like that," Hinata mumbled, unable to meet Naruto's eyes as her blush grew.

"EH?" Naruto cocked his head and stared at Hinata. As he was about to open his mouth and say something else, a new voice cut in.

"You guys should be more quiet. The competition's going to eat you alive."

Turning, the group found a leaf ninja in a purple turtle neck and pants over a grey shirt. On his hands were purple gloves with a sheet of metal over the back to protect his knuckles and a beige sash around his middle, probably for hiding weapons in. Other than obviously being older than the nine rookies, he didn't seem particularly strong. He certainly didn't give off the same air as the sand ninja had.

"Who the hell are you, Four-Eyes?" demanded Naruto.

The boy pushed his circular glasses up his nose a touch. "I'm Kabuto, maybe you should take a look behind you and be glad I'm offering helpful advice?"

"Be…hind?"

As Kabuto said, behind them a group of three ninja that looked more than a little ready to tear someone's throat out were glaring, one already half out of their chair. Naruto paled.

"Their ninja from Amegakure. They have super short tempers, so calm down before something happens? We're all nervous you know," Kabuto explained. "If we fail here it's another six months until ninjas can try again. I mean, if my Sensei even lets me try again."

"This isn't your first time," Sasuke noted.

"Nope, my seventh."

"Wow, you must know a lot then. About the exam," Choji said, a slight creep of awe in his tone.

"You bet!" Kabuto smiled. "Hey, why don't I share some of it with you?" he added, reaching into his pouch and pulling out a small deck of cards. "With my Ninja Info Cards!"

"That name is so lame," Shikamaru muttered under his breath while they all looked on in confusion as Kabuto knelt down and placed the deck on the floor.

"Since the exam is every six months, I've four years' worth of slowly built up on these cards – almost two hundred of them – they all look blank at first glance," he added, flipping the first card over to show the lack of information. "But if I use my chakra…" A small puff of smoke erupted and the card changed instead to a map of the world, with graph of ninja by country.

"This is… the people taking the exam this year?" Sasuke guessed.

"Yep, I've been counting the people in the room and updating while I wait, so it might be a little off if some more ninja come in while we're talking, but I can fix that later," Kabuto said.

"Do you have information on individuals?" Sasuke asked.

"Of course! Why? Someone you're worried about?" Kabuto chuckled.

Naruto nudged Choji. "He's worried about _me_ obviously."

"Uhm… wouldn't Sasuke know how strong you are?"

Naruto's eyebrow twitched in annoyance.

"The info might not be complete, but I'll have something. Can you describe them?" Kabuto asked.

"Gaara of the Sand village and Rock Lee from Konoha," Sasuke said flatly, surprising Kabuto.

"Oh nice! If you know their names that makes this way easier." He moved to draw two cards from his deck. "Here we go. Rock Lee first. He's a year older than you guys, his Sensei is Might Gai. Done 20 D-Rank missions and 12 C-Rank. Other than his taijutsu being off the charts, there's nothing really of note about him. He made a stir when he graduated last year but this is his first time entering the Chuunin exams, same with his teammates Hyuuga Neji and Tenten." Leaving the card on the floor, Shikamaru could see the profile of data and a stat wheel framing a picture of Rock Lee, a kid he remembered seeing a while ago because the garish jumpsuit and bowl cut had been pretty hard to miss, even without Ino commenting on the fashion disaster.

Next, Kabuto brought up a similar data card on Gaara. Shikamaru's eyes widened. It was the red-headed sand ninja from before. Why the hell would Sasuke want information on _that_ guy?

"Gaara of the Desert. My information is spotty because Wind and Fire country don't have much contact or friendly treaties, plus he's a newcomer, I haven't seen him before. But I do know he's done eight C-Ranks and even a B-Rank, which is near impossible for a Genin. Word on the street is Gaara's never even gotten a scratch. He must be pretty fast…"

"Or freakisly strong," Ino mumbled.

"I'm more of the opinion people see him and run the other way," Shikamaru commented. "Who're his teammates?"

"Kankuro and Temari. And their info cards are about the same. They're total unknowns, which is weird because Kankuro is 14 and Temari 15. At least in Konoha, ninja don't get held back for that long."

Choji sighed, "Seems like everyone is unknown."

"Well, it makes sense," Kabuto reasoned. "Particularly since the exams move country every six months, most villages will send their strong ninja to the foreign lands as a show of strength, meaning anyone who isn't leaf is probably super strong. But as you saw with Lee, we tend to put our best foot forward too."

"Says the habitual failure," muttered Sasuke.

"Who are the other villages than leaf, sand and rain?" Naruto blinked.

"Don't you know _anything_?" Ino chastised. "The five big ninja villages are Konoha, Suna, Kiri, Kumo and Iwa."

"There's also littler villages here, like Kusa, Ame and Oto."

"Sound village?" Shikamaru said, raising his eyebrow at the last name. "Never heard of it."

"They're recently formed, and only have one team entering this year. They're the ones with a musical note on their headband wearing camo," Kabuto replied.

Silence fell on the rookies, each awkwardly avoiding eye contact as they digested the fact the bst of the best were here, and yet their Sensei had each thrown their fresh teams into the exams too. Even Naruto was shaking like a leaf.

As Sakura reached out to comfort him, her words were drowned out as he exploded in excitement, finger jabbing at the rest of the examinees. "My name Uzumai Naruto! Don't forget it because I'm going to beat all you bastards!" he yelled confidently. "Believe it!"

"No, no you're definitely going to get us killed instead," Shikamaru said, a beat of sweat rolling down his temple.

"Is he braindead?!" Ino demanded of Sakura, whose hands were still over her ears from being too close to Naruto when he shouted.

"You fucking idiot!" Sakura screeched at Naruto, unaware Sasuke looked just as, if not more confident than Naruto.

Around them, the air grew thick with tension. It seemed Naruto's outburst had been taken as a challenge by the entire room. Them against the rookies.

This was going to be the ultimate drag.

* * *

So I looked up Dosu and his team. Apparently they're actually wearing 'snake patterned' clothes. But it totally looks like purple camo to me, so it's staying in. Plus I'd like to assume Orochimaru being behind Otogakure is a _little_ more secret than common knowledge. Kabuto knows obviously, but why would he tell blabby Genin brats? The Hokage only found out through the ANBU network and allowed their entry into the Chuunin exams to figure out what Orochimaru is after. At least, that's my take on it.


	10. Chapter 9: Interrogation

I had to use the manga a little here to make sure I got the rules right. We are surprisingly canon still XD

Thank you for the new reviews and follows, I read them all even if I don't always respond.

* * *

"You absolute moron, Naruto!" Shikamaru growled, hand clenching into a fist. Sakura grabbed Naruto, half throttling him in the process.

"He-he's a massive idiot, just ignore him everyone," she said meekly, though it seemed to have no effect on the crowd. A crowd that was becoming distinctly restless.

"Quieten down you worthless bastards!" roared a deep voice, a cloud of smoke appearing at the front of the room. "And please, Sound Ninja-san, put your kunai away." The smoke gave way to a group of adult ninja all dressed in the same style of clothes, pants and a long shirt with large breast pockets, though while most wore it in grey, three donned a navy version and the man who had spoken accompanied the look with a black trench coat.

"They're Intelligence Division," Ino informed softly, her eyes wide. "And the ones in the darker uniforms are higher ups like my dad."

Shikamaru looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "Do you know who they are?"

Ino barely shook her head. "Nu-uh."

"Thanks for waiting, I'm Morino Ibiki, the examiner for the Chuunin selection exam's first test," the one in the trench coat introduced. Upon closer inspection, Shikamaru could see Ibiki had two long scars across his face and another running down the length of it worryingly close to his left eye.

Ibiki jabbed a finger to a crowded part of the room, "I'm not going to ask again, Sound Ninja. You with the bandages, lower your sleeve and the other. Kunai. Away."

Eyes turned to look but Shikamaru couldn't pick out the guys he was talking to. How the hell was Ibiki able to see what was going on with so many people in the room?

"Sorry, we've been waiting a while and are just very eager to get going," a voice came through the crowd.

"Hey, I told you to be here for four. Not my fault if you're early," Ibiki said dismissively. "Still, this is as good a time as any to explain," he added his tone hardening, "There will be no fighting without permission of the examiners. Even if we do grant permission, killing your opponent is explicitly forbidden. The vermin that disobey will be failed immediately, do I make myself clear?"

The look in his eyes was accompanied by a burst of killing intent meant to cow the weaker willed among them and warn the stronger not to cross the examiners. Considering the worried faces around the room, Shikamaru figured it worked rather well.

Ibiki raised his voice, even though the room was silent. "We will now start the Chunnin Exams. Everyone get up, we have an arranged seating plan to split up your teams. Once you're all sat in your proper places we'll hand out the exam paper."

People moved to obey, rising out of their chairs. Over the sounds of chair legs, Naruto's voice rang out again. "W-what?! A written test?!"

"You need a brain to be Chuunin, Dobe," Sasuke scolded.

Beside Ino, Sakura sighed. "Oh we're so screwed. Naruto's terrible at written tests…"

A few minutes later everyone finally had a chair and an exam paper. Shikamaru had to turn to see Ino, but Choji was only a few rows in front.

"Do not turn over your tests," Ibiki said picking up a piece of chalk. "Listen closely, there are many rules to this test. I'll write on the board while I explain, so don't bother me with questions. Ninja do not question the orders of their superiors."

"The first rule. Everyone starts with ten points. The test contains ten questions worth one point each, however, we'll be subtracting from your score for every wrong answer. Let's say you get seven correct and three wrong, you lose three points and will score seven."

Shikamaru groaned inwardly. If this test got too complicated before they even started, people like Naruto and Choji might overload.

"The second rule," Ibiki continued, "Is that this is a team test, meaning your scores are linked. That puts the actual total number of points up to thirty."

"What? The points make no sense, and why is this a team test?" barked Sakura, raising her hand. Not that Ibiki even turned to look at her. Probably worried Naruto might cause her and Sasuke to fail, Shikamaru noted.

"Silence, I didn't give you permission to question," growled Ibiki. "You cannot enter the exam without a team, therefore your scores are team scores. Now, on to the most important rule. The third rule is that anyone caught cheating will have two points subtracted for every offence. Anyone who loses all their points will be asked to leave."

"We'll be watching you," said one of the invigilators, leering at a particularly frazzled bunch of ninja near him. Looking over, Shikamaru was surprised to note it was Kotetsu from the village gate. Izumo sat on the other side of the room a row behind Shikamaru, the change in outfit probably being what caused Shikamaru not to recognise them immediately.

"As shinobi trying to prove your worth and reach the next level, I hope you all act with pride," Ibiki finished, smiling as he turned to the room of Genin. "And finally, the last rule. Anyone that loses all of their initial points, that is, anyone who scores a zero, either by cheating penalties or incorrect answers will be failed along with their two teammates."

Shikamaru frowned and cast Naruto a sympathetic look. Sasuke and Sakura were probably going insane in their seats. In front of him, Choji shifted awkwardly, but Shikamaru was confident the guy would get at least one right.

"You have one hour. Begin!"

There was a loud rustle as everyone turned their paper over.

The first question was a cryptogram. Shikamaru hummed curiously, not having known what to expect. Shifting his pencil over the characters in the coded message as he worked out a pattern within it, he got the answer easily enough. Looking at the next one, a rather annoying maths question that doubled as a tactical analysis, Shikamaru sighed. Forget Choji, even Ino was going to struggle with these. And the final question wasn't even a question.

_Question 10: This question will be revealed 45 minutes after the test has begun. Listen closely to the examiner before answering._

Kay… Guess that one was out. Which meant Shikamaru had forty-five minutes to finish his test and figure out how to get both his teammates at least one right answer.

Ignoring the scratches of pencils and the idiot on the other side of the room talking and nearly being disqualified, Shikamaru turned his attention to the next question, writing his answer after a moment. These questions were impossible for most people surely? It couldn't just be that as rookies they weren't experienced enough. No way the entire room knew the answers.

He gave an inconspicuous look to the ninja next to him, who was sweating and still stuck on the first question. If the general intelligence of the room was too low to answer these questions, and the invigilators were watching like hawks for cheaters, very few people would go on to pass. But not every ninja was book smart, so there had to be a way, he thought, eyes drifting back to the rules written on the board.

Shikamaru startled, staring at the wording of rule three, Itachi-sensei's words ringing in his ears. "You can skip training so long as you don't get caught doing it." The test didn't disallow cheating, just getting caught cheating. The slight but notable change in the wording gave the rule new meaning, especially in the context of such a hard test. Cheat. We'll be watching, so don't get caught.

Gathering and passing on information was usually Ino's forte, so provided she worked out the hiccup in the rule too, Shikamaru didn't have to worry about her. Choji though… nothing in his jutsu repertoire was built for subtle intel gathering. Luckily he was in front of Shikamaru, not behind, or helping him would get complicated.

The air was filled with the gentle thrum of chakra from numerous people acting and trying not to get caught. Joining in, aware the Chuunin couldn't possibly tell who was doing jutsu and who wasn't without catching the hand signs, Shikamaru activated his Shadow Possession, slowly working his shadow down to Choji. They only needed one right answer so once Choji was caught, Shikamaru quickly filled in question one and wrote in box two: _Don't worry about the rest, #1 is right, S._

Releasing the justu, Shikamaru watched with a smile as Choji sagged in relief, then had the smarts to rub out Shikamaru's message in case any invigilators saw.

Risking a glance at Ino in an elaborate stretch, Shikamaru was glad to see her writing. Good, they were all safe-

A kunai thudded into the desk of a ninja not far from Shikamaru. Instantly the kid was on his feet. "What the hell?"

Kotesu, the thrower of the kunai rose too. "I caught you five times, you fail."

"N-no way…"

"The two on his team get out of here as well," Kotetsu ordered harshly. "Right now, get up!"

As they were escorted out, Shikamaru noticed a blonde not far away pulling his hair in desperation. Even without the orange jumpsuit, Shikamaru recognised it as Naruto. He frowned and went back to his test, filling in another two answers while he debated with himself.

Could Sasuke or Sakura get an answer to him? Could Naruto get one himself? Probably not seeing how lost he looked. Should Shikamaru help him? If he did, then he'd be helping out the competition. But… Naruto was his friend. And having at least one question right would probably make Naruto look good to his teammates.

He was talking himself into it, hands slipping into the signs once more. Even if he got caught, he had cheating points left and a paper of correct answers, fuck the moderators.

He saw Naruto stiffen as their shadows connected and try to shift. _Stop, Idiot, I'm helping!_ He wrote, not caring where Naruto's hand was. _Put your hand at the start of answer box one._

Giving Naruto control back while their shadows were connected was a strain on his chakra and more complicated than just trying to force his own will, but he could do it. Just not for long. It felt like an eon before Naruto finally moved and Shikamaru wondered if the idiot really was brain-dead or something before taking control and answering the question. He then moved on to answer the next four questions for Naruto to cover the idiot in case he'd been caught looking around during the last half hour. Not that the dumbass seemed any calmer once Shikamaru was done. Weirdo.

Relaxing the jutsu, Shikamaru slumped in his seat a little and tried to catch his breath surreptitiously. Around him, the actions of other ninja caught up to them.

"Hundred and two, fail."

"Number twenty-three. Fail."

"Forty-three, twenty-seven, you're out."

"I didn't cheat! You got proof?!" As the hall thinned it was getting easier to spot the cheating even from his seat, Shikamaru thought as he saw a boy get up and begin to argue with the invigilator.

Quick as a flash the two went from standing on one side of the room to the invigilator holding the examinee up against the wall on the other side. "Listen, punk. We are elite Chuunin hand-picked to watch over this exam. We haven't missed anything you've done. Proof enough? Now get out."

Three more Genin left the room before Ibiki brought attention back to the front. Finally, forty-five minutes of the exam had passed.

"We will now begin the tenth question!"

Examinees raised their heads, many having a small look around and seeing just how many ninja had been asked to leave. Before the hall had been packed, now, you could see each remaining participant easily. Shikamaru caught the sure gaze of Ino and in front of him, Choji looked relaxed. Someone who didn't though, was Naruto. He was trembling in his chair, looking directly at Ibiki. Maybe he needs the bathroom? Shikamaru thought, But then, that Kankuro guy went a little while ago… though he isn't back yet.

Hopefully the idiot was just struggling with being silent for a whole hour and wasn't about to have a horrendous, embarrassing bowl movement in front a good eighty or so ninja.

"Before we get to the question, however, I'm adding one final rule."

Shikamaru startled. He couldn't be serious? More weird ass rules? What else could Ibiki restrict?

At the back of the room the door opened. "Ah, looks like you're just in time," Ibiki greeted Kankuro. "Any later and you'd have been disqualified and all that playing with dolls would have been a waste."

Playing with dolls? What did that mean? Shikamaru looked over at Kankuro as he walked past. The other boy seemed to have understood and looked perturbed by the information. He also might have passed something to Temari, but it was hard to tell.

"Now," Ibiki said once Kankuro was seated once more. "Let me be clear. This rule is absolute."

* * *

_Earlier_

After greeting their teams, Jonin were asked to meet in the Staff tower, a circular building on three levels, one of which was a rooftop observation area. The lower area had tables and a small kitchenette where the Sensei would make themselves drinks or lunch and the middle floor was more of a relaxation area with a large selection of plants in the centre and two rings of benches, one surrounding the plants in a small circle facing outward and the other spanning the circumference of the room with three small grated stands for smokers spread around and a flat shelf above the bench that worked as both shelving for a few potted plants and window seats for any ninja who didn't fancy the benches.

When he reached the tower, Itachi found that the Jonin that were already there were grouping themselves by village, Rain ninja talking exclusively to Rain ninja, Grass talking with Grass, a creepily pale Sound ninja on his lonesome looking out at the academy grounds.

While there were other Leaf ninja, Itachi ignored them and found a quiet part of the centre floor, taking a seat on the window ledge. He was the only one up there for some time before the sound of feet tapping on the stairs reached Itachi's ears. Expecting it to be someone planning on going to the roof, Itachi didn't turn his head from the window to observe them.

"It's getting quite crowded down there," the newcomer said, walking towards Itachi. Inwardly groaning, Itachi wondered if he could just ignore the other ninja. No luck as the man now stood beside Itachi and from his vantage point, Itachi could see they were from Oto. The lone Sound Sensei from the village tied to Orochimaru.

"I suppose it would be, the exam starts in an hour," Itachi relented, looking back out the window.

"I'm Yashagorou, the Sensei from Sound," the man introduced, offering a hand.

"Itachi," he replied, eyeing the hand warily. "How are you liking Konoha?" he asked instead.

The ninja dropped its hand. "It seems quite modern. Oto doesn't have many buildings and our paths are natural forest floor, though we do have houses and buildings built into the trees."

"Some of our older buildings are built into the mountain," Itachi disclosed. They were generally disused or emergency safe houses and not entirely hidden to outsiders.

"Oh? Like that big area with the faces?"

"Not that I'm aware of," Itachi lied, "But there are some paths integrated to allow civilians to get up to the top of the stone faces. They're of our past and current Hokage."

"Ah. But the older gentleman who greeted us introduced himself as the Third Hokage. And there are four heads on the mountain."

"The Fourth Hokage died young, luckily his predecessor did not, so the Third Hokage retook his position."

"Aren't you worried about such an old man leading your village?" Yashagorou pressed, cocking his head to one side, his dark ponytail falling over his shoulder.

"Not at all. The elders are wise."

Maybe the other ninja caught a hollow note in Itachi's voice, because he soon smiled. "I find them quite conceited myself."

Itachi quirked an eyebrow, turning his head to look at the Sound ninja, "Is the leader of Sound young then?"

"I'm not sure, their appearance changes a lot, so no-one's really sure."

"But you trust them?"

"Mhmm," Yashagorou hummed raising his hands in a shrug, "They've made good decisions and created a nation able to thrive enough to be recognised on a stage like this. I'd call that trustworthy, wouldn't you?"

"I suppose."

Yashagorou frowned, "You don't sound convinced, Itachi-sensei."

"Ah, sorry, Yashogorou-Sensei, I'm just projecting," Itachi covered with a smile.

"Oh?"

"My team are rookies, and I was thinking about what you said. They'd made good decisions and hope to be recognised as Chuunin level ninja, but I find myself worrying about their abilities."

Yashagorou blinked, his yellow, almost snake like eyes sharp. "Ah, so it's your team you don't trust? Are you new to being a Sensei as well?" he guessed, "Maybe the combined freshness made you all eager to prove yourselves – they ninja ready for the next phase and you a competent Sensei who can teach and lead?"

"Something like that. Mostly I'd forgotten there was a written test and one of my team is more of a practical soul," Itachi said, forcing a light chuckle. "He has good reasoning, but still, I worry."

Yashagorou smiled. "Well if not, there's always trying again in six months." Silence hung for a moment before the man spoke again. "How come you ignored the other Leaf ninja and came up here alone?"

"Oh, I was waiting for my comrades," Itachi lied, feeling a familiar chakra heading up the stairs. He would have preferred to wait on his own and ignore the other Jonin, but he would take Leaf prying over a foreign ninja. Pointing to get Yashagorou to switch his attention to the staircase, Itachi's other hand formed the ANBU signs for 'approach' and prayed Kakashi would take pity on him as he and Kurenai came onto the middle level, the former holding a steaming cup of coffee.

"Ah, Itachi-sensei, there you are," Kakashi greeted. "We looked for you downstairs."

"Too crowded, I thought our meeting might be a little more private up here," he responded. "Yashagorou-sensei, please, excuse us."

Blessedly, the man took the hint. "Ah, yes, of course. I'll take my leave then. Goodbye, Itachi-sensei, Leaf-sensei," he added to Kurenai and Kakashi, bowing to them all before heading down to the kitchen area.

"Not like you to initiate conversation with us," Kakashi noted, a teasing edge to his tone once Yashagorou's footsteps could no longer be heard.

"He was prying about Konoha's leadership. Even I can only create so many segues," Itachi explained as Kurenai settled on the bench below Itachi and Kakashi sat opposite her, putting his drink on the seat beside him.

"Lucky we came along then," Kurenai said. "Did you get any information on Oto?"

"If we believe Yashagorou, the leader changes their form regularly," Itachi said, "He claims to have not met the person."

"So we don't even know the gender?"

Kakashi groaned, "Well that's completely useless then."

"I don't see why you're complaining, we can't go on solo missions during the exams," Itachi challenged. "The most we can do is train when our teams pass their tests. Otherwise we have to gather with the other Sensei like this."

"Oh we'll probably be busy again before long," Kakashi reasoned.

"Huh? Why's that?"

"From what I heard on my way here, the first examiner is Morino Ibiki."

"Urgh," Itachi groaned. "Why'd it have to be him?" Now he was even more concerned about his team.

Kurenai frowned. "What's wrong with Ibiki?"

"Ah, of course, you probably haven't come across him, Kurenai," Kakashi said. "He's a sadist, and a pro at his job."

"What's his job?"

"Torture and Interrogation," Itachi answered.

"Huh?" Kurenai balked, "Why pick him to lead the exam?"

"Probably because intelligence gathering is a hugely important skill for ninja," Itachi guessed. "Or else maybe it's because he'd be the best candidate to test our teams' mental fortitude?"

"Whatever the reason," Kakashi cut in, "all we can do is put our faith in our students."

Silence fell on the three for a moment broken by Kakashi as he reached for his coffee. "So, have you started that book I gave you, Itachi-Sensei? The exam's an hour long, plenty of time to get started."

Itachi felt a vein in his temple throb. "If you'd so kindly remove your mask, Kakashi-sensei," he said through gritted teeth, "I'll gladly shove that waste of paper and ink down your throat over the course of the next hour instead."

Kakashi didn't look the least bit phased. "Maa, Itachi-Sensei, that isn't very kind. And after all the effort I went through to find my spare copy."

Kurenai gave Itachi a look out of the corner of her eye and shifted away from him slightly. Itachi was just glad she didn't ask which book he'd been loaned.

* * *

Back in the exam hall, the remaining Genin waited for Ibiki to explain his new rule.

"First though you must choose whether or not to accept the exam's tenth question."

A murmur of confusion followed that statement.

"Huh? Choose? What happens if we refuse the question?" demanded Temari, sparking a few other participants to shout out as well.

"If you choose to reject the question, you'll lose all your points immediately and fail the exam. Both of your teammates will also fail as a result."

"What?" Ino gawked, "Then why would anyone refuse?"

"Because of the final rule," Ibiki answered calmly. Shikamaru groaned, so the choosing to accept the question wasn't the new rule? "If you answer the tenth question incorrectly, you'll be barred from ever taking the Chuunin exam again in any nation."

"What? You've gotta be bluffing!" Kiba challenged, "There are people who've taken this exam multiple times before! We know there are." Indeed, Kabuto had been placed on the row behind Kiba. However, Kiba's point only made Ibiki chuckle, which was an awful, dark sound that sent a chill down Shikamaru's spine.

"Just your rotten luck. I didn't set the exams in previous years. But I am this time and my word is final. If I say you're unfit to ever be a Chuunin, then that's exactly the status you'll have." The look in his eyes was one of absolute seriousness, and Shikamaru found himself believing Ibiki had the authority to do just that.

"I've been up front about the consequences. Fail now and try again later, or proceed and risk permanent damnation. The choice is yours. Anyone who doubts their ability would be smart to bow out here," he added, his eyes flashing in a manner that said he enjoyed watching them squirm. "Come back next year and reapply. Maybe I won't be the proctor."

So, if one of them got cold feet and dropped out, all of them would. Shikamaru frowned. If the question was like the others, statistically, out of the three of them, Shikamaru was the only one who might be able to answer correctly, but even then, it was also possible that because he helped Naruto earlier, that Shikamaru was out of chances to cheat the answer to Choji. And he would _definitely_ get caught giving the answer to Ino. If she couldn't get the correct answer off of anyone else, she'd be banned from ever becoming Chuunin. Even if Shikamaru didn't really care either way about rank, he knew Ino did, and Choji wanted to take the exams to make his dad proud. Being permanently Genin would be a complete embarrassment to their families.

"Are you ready?" Ibiki asked, "Then let's begin. Those who wish to resign from the exams at this point should raise their hands. Once their number has been confirmed, they and their teammates should leave the room."

Shikamaru could feel a knot in his stomach tighten as Ibiki revelled in their obvious discomfort. Letting them think this over was a false kindness. The longer they stewed on their decision, the more doubt would creep in, and the more likely a greater number of people would chose to quit. It didn't matter if Shikamaru knew that was probably Ibiki's game, because either way, the only people losing here were the Genin hopefuls taking the exam. Ibiki won if they quit now, if they answered the question wrong and even if they got it right, because Ibiki obviously got his kicks out of the self-created torment each ninja was feeling from his words.

He took the lead in missions, which might mean Ino and Choji were expecting Shikamaru to take the lead here too. But then if he risked it and they got the answer wrong, he damned them to a life where they would be unable to ever be ninja of high and respectful rank. They were the only children of their parents, who were the Heads of Clan. If the heirs couldn't become high ranking ninja, it would apply strain to their standings in the Clan and possibly lead to in-fighting, which could affect the entire village. On the other side, if he chose for them and they failed now, it could cause the team to fall apart. If Ino and Choji couldn't trust him, Itachi-sensei wouldn't let them out of the village on missions, and they'd be stuck doing D-Ranks forever.

It was an impossible choice for Shikamaru, and he hoped Ino and Choji could see that.

The silence drew on for seconds that felt like hours as everyone had similar thoughts to Shikamaru. Finally, someone cracked.

"I-I'm rejecting the question!" an older Leaf ninja said, raising his hand and standing.

Without missing a beat, the invigilator beside that row called out, "Number fifty, fail. Number one hundred and thirty, one hundred and eleven, you also fail."

The two named stood up as well without comment while the first ninja cried, "I'm sorry guys!"

That seemed to open the floodgates as hands flew up around the room. "I quit! Me too! I resign as well!" Numbers were called out as teams failed, but Ino and Choji didn't raise their hands. They hadn't failed yet, and Shikamaru was torn.

He believed in his teammates, he really did, but the safe answer was to quit and go again next time when Ibiki wasn't dangling their future in front of them. This kind of decision was one they hadn't prepared for and without the ability to confer the decision was one of the utmost trust. Which meant it was completely sensible to raise his hand and stop this madness.

That's what Shikamaru kept telling himself when his breath came in short and shaky as he started to raise his hand, only to pause as someone he never expected shoved his hand in the air, his whole body trembling.

"Naruto?" Shikamaru muttered, staring and wondering if the idiot was finally going to ask to go to the bathroom.

"I… Don't you dare underestimate me!" the blonde roared. "I don't quit and I won't run from a hard decision! I accept your question!"

Was he… risking his dream of being Hokage, just so Sasuke and Sakura could become Chuunin?

"I'm not afraid of you!" Naruto continued, "Even if I end up being a Genin for the rest of my life, I'll definitely become Hokage. There's nothing in the selection process that says I have to be a certain rank beforehand!"

Shikamaru was actually surprised Naruto knew anything about the selection process, but then, there was every chance Naruto had been hoping to bypass the rank system entirely and go from Academy Student to Hokage.

"Crazy dumbass," Shikamaru said to himself, starting to raise his hand once more.

"I'll accept too!"

Shikamaru had never whipped his head around so fast in his life. He stared at Ino, eyes wide as saucers. She stood, one hand on the desk the other in the air, confident smile so forced Shikamaru wouldn't be surprised if her jaw locked. She turned her head to him and inclined it the barest amount. Her decision was made.

No… no Ino. What if you fail?

Shikamaru felt tears prick at the corner of his eyes as a chair scraped from one the rows in front. He didn't even have to look to know it was Choji's.

"Count me in too. No way Naruto's passing and I'm not."

"Are you all sure? This will be the last time I ask," Ibiki said, his tone filled with danger. "And what about you, eighty-three, I've seen your hand dally in the air twice."

Shikamaru swallowed around a lump in his throat. He turned back towards Ibiki, catching the haunted gaze of Naruto. The kid looked outright dangerous in this moment, like a coiled spring ready to demolish the room if it turned out he'd picked wrong. A pencil clattered to the floor, drawing Shikamaru's eyes to Choji, who smiled in the calm manner he always did.

"I…" Shikamaru blinked furiously as tears blurred his vision. He knew he should drop, that would be sensible, but Choji and Ino wanted to go on. He couldn't tear that away from them, even if things turned out terrible. "I… I'll do it," he cried.

"Are you sure? You don't look it," Ibiki pressed.

Shikamaru swallowed and wiped his eyes on his arm. "Yes," he said, determination finally creeping into his voice. "Give me the question!"


	11. Chapter 10: Transition

For anyone wondering, Yashogorou was the name of one of Jiraya's students in his Jiraya the Gallant. That character changes his name to Orochimaru later on, so I thought that would work for the Sound Sensei he hides as.

* * *

There were eighty-one people left, and when before they had all been despairing, they were now slowly gaining confidence. Ibiki waited another minute more during which others rose to call out their will to continue.

"All right, settle down. Everyone who's still here," Ibiki said, letting the words hang for a moment. One last time for the panic and anticipation to get to the Genin. "You pass the exam!"

"EH?!" The room was in utter disbelief, but that didn't seem to deter Ibiki.

"What do you mean we pass?" asked Sakura, "What about the tenth question?"

"Oh, I didn't write one," Ibiki smiled his demeanour one of actual joy now, not sadistic amusement. "I figured the accept or reject thing was enough if I bigged it up and made a show."

"Then why did we have to suffer through the other nine if this is the only one that mattered?" Temari demanded. "That was all lead-up to the tenth? Seriously? What a waste of an hour."

"It wasn't a waste," argued Ibiki. "Those questions served a different purpose, to test your skills at spying."

"Our skills at spying?" Naruto questioned looking utterly lost, either because he didn't understand or because Ibiki was now grinning like a child in a sweet shop.

"Yup! Remember the rules at the start? You pass or fail as a three-man cell, and all that pressure I added with the fear of you failing would bring your teammates down too. In the real ninja world, you'll experience that kind of pressure a lot and one of you performing poorly could indeed spell disaster for the whole team," Ibiki explained. "And I purposely made the questions harder than ninja of your level could be expected to solve. That left you with one choice; cheat. I also added in two teams of my own, so you would have amble people to collect answers from." Here three ninja waved their hands, the whole room looking around to see them.

"Where's the other team?" asked Ino. Behind her the exam hall door opened

"Here." The first team to retire from the exam's tenth question stood in the doorway, grinning.

"They hammed it up a bit, but I had them in specifically to quit at that point," Ibiki said, shrugging a shoulder. "I knew that if you saw one team break, the weaker willed among you would fly out the door."

"And as well," Ibiki said, reaching for his headband that doubled as a bandana over his head. "I think now is a good time to show you the consequences of failure. Sloppy cheating gets you thrown out of my exam, because sloppy spying… has severe consequences."

In the deadly silence that followed Ibiki's bandana removal, the man continued, "Not every failure in espionage will cost you your life. You can be valuable to the enemy alive. Have things taken from you little by little, time and again while the lives of you and your comrades have to be weighed up against the lives of the village you love."

He was referring to torture undoubtedly, and had clearly been subjected to it himself, which gave Shikamaru context for Ibiki's facial scars as he and the other participants stared at Ibiki's head. The scars on his face were now accompanied by more scars on his head, carving up the skin there along with burns that changed the shape of Ibiki's crown, too severe to heal. Shikamaru looked over to Choji, whose hand was on his own arm, burns hidden under a thick layer of bandages. The skin was healing but it was entirely possible the discolouration would be permanent like Ibiki's, whose tanned skin was at complete opposites with the angry pink mess the top of his head was. And that was discounting the weird spiral craters that looked to be the work of a drill. How did someone even survive that?

"The information you have is useless if the enemy know you're there. You can't trust it unless you are completely hidden," Ibiki went on, hiding his wounds once more, wanting their full attention on his words. "Listen closely and remember this; if you bring back information from a suspect source or a compromised operation you are doing the enemies' work for them, putting the next team that works based on that information in danger."

Shikamaru paled. He turned to catch Ino's gaze and saw her tense in concern, likely thinking the same as him. They'd failed a mission, was there a team sent out in response? Were they in danger because of that? Itachi-sensei hadn't seemed too worried, but then, his focus had been on getting the three of them back to Konoha safely.

"Alright, but that still doesn't explain what that tenth question was all about," Kankuro frowned.

Ibiki grinned, "Well, the tenth question was the first real question on the exam." While many Genin looked on in confusion, Ibiki turned to look at Shikamaru. "And I think I'm right in believing you understand the full scope of what the point of it was, don't you?"

"I… I had to accept," Shikamaru said quietly. "If my teammates knew the risks, what being stuck a Genin for life meant… I couldn't take that away. If they were willing to put their futures on the line," he said, his voice gaining strength, "Then I would do everything in my power to make sure they got the right answer."

"Ah, that is all very true," acknowledged Ibiki, "But you're thinking too small. It isn't just about you or your teammates, it's about the village. The choice was deliberately dangerous and difficult to reflect those you'll be receiving from now on. What kind of ninja can go about in life only accepting the easy and safe missions? Not a very good one."

"Let's assume for a moment you all go on successfully to become Chuunin," Ibiki postulated, "You are assigned to steal a vital enemy document, knowing nothing about the skills, deployment, or military preparedness of your foe. You may have to cross land that has been heavily mined and set with traps. Now, do you accept your mission?" he challenged, "Or do you reject it – rather than place your own life, or the lives of your companions – in jeopardy? Could any Chuunin get away with only taking on the safe jobs? Absolutely not!" Ibiki raised his voice, swept his hand out to the side. "_This_ is the talent we most value in commander of a Chuunin cell! I want ninja brave enough to risk their lives, not cowards who just want to live another day. In my opinion," he continued with gusto, "those kinds of people, only able to make weak and easy decisions don't deserve to be Chuunin at all!"

"By choosing accept, you answered the almost insolvable tenth question correctly," he smiled, "You agreed to become the kind of ninja I would trust with my life, and I'll pray that that strength endures through the next tests. But for now, part one of the Chuunin exams is concluded-," Ibiki looked about to say more, but cut himself off, head snapping to the window.

Shikamaru looked over just in time to see a whirling black mass smash through the window, two kunai shooting out. Shikamaru flapped for a kunai to defend himself. Only, no attack was incoming.

The kunai the black thing had thrown turned out to be attached to fabric, and were now lodged into the ceiling behind a purple haired woman, who looked very pleased with herself, while Ibiki didn't look threated so much as irritated. Risking a look around, everyone seemed just as confused as Shikamaru, and Ino didn't look like she recognised the new woman. So probably not Interrogation Division.

"None of you are in a position to celebrate!" the woman roared, drawing attention back to her and the sign behind her back.

"Newly arrived second chief… examiner officer…Mitarashi Anko?" Shikamaru read slowly, moving his head around to see the message.

"For an examiner, you'd think she'd put on some clothes," Choji commented, staring at Anko, who, bar a long pale trench coat and tan skirt, was dressed in ninja mesh undershirt and shorts.

"Maybe she gets in fights a lot?" suggested Shikamaru, noting the leg armour.

"She reminds me of Naruto," Sakura muttered, her voice carrying in the near silent room.

"Time's a wasting people! Let's go!"

Naruto's eye twitched as he blinked at Anko in dismay. "I am not that weird," he grumbled, "Right Hinata?"

"She… really killed the mood," Hinata said softly. Which Shikamaru guessed counted as support.

"Give me a break," Ibiki mumbled. "Your timing is the absolute worst!"

"What are you talking about!" Anko cried, flushing in presumed embarrassment at Ibiki, "You passed twenty-six teams, that's seventy-eight people. It's not my fault you're going soft!"

Ibiki raised his chin, "This year we have exceptional candidates. I think some of them actually get what it means to be a Chuunin."

"Yeah right, I'll do your job properly and cut these guys down by half. There's no way that many are ready for the jump in responsibility," Anko grinned and turned back to the Genin. "I'm giddy at just the thought of pulling the rug out from under you guys. Come on, get up, I'll explain the next part of the exam on location! No dilly-dallying!"

Groaning, Shikamaru put his kunai in his pouch and went to follow the other ninja as they followed Anko out of the broken window. "This place has doors you know," he grumbled.

"Hey, Shikamaru?"

"Huh? Oh, Naruto. What's up?" Shikamaru asked, turning to look at the blonde.

"Why'd you help me in the exam? I'm not on your team," he said frowning. "Were you trying to sabotage me?"

"What? Why would I do that?" Shikamaru asked, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion. "You're my friend Naruto and I didn't think Sasuke or Sakura had a way of getting information to you. They were too far away. And even if Hinata let you copy off of her or something, you're not exactly subtle about anything, so I figured I could help. And I knew all of the answers, so it wasn't like I was worried about losing you points."

"Huh?! You knew all that?" Naruto screeched. "I couldn't figure out a single answer."

"Yeah I figured. Wait. Was that what had you moving all weird? You thought I was trying to knock your team out of the exam?" Shikamaru was torn between hurt and offense at the thought.

"A little bit. Sasuke was saying we shouldn't go easy on you guys," Naruto explained as they followed the group. "That Itachi-sensei had probably told you to destroy us."

"Des…troy you?" Shikamaru blinked. "No, he hasn't mentioned you guys at all actually. I mean except you."

"Huh? The hell is he talking about me for?!"

"Well you do live in the same apartment block. You used to hang out together right?"

Naruto hummed in thought. "Well. I mean not like every day, but yeah. He'd buy me ramen sometimes when Iruka-sensei was busy with other stuff and he's got my spare key 'cause I've been locked out of my place more than once."

"And he knows you snore like a bear."

"Do _not_!"

"Have you heard yourself snore?"

"Well… no…"

"You sound like something large and dying," Shikamaru told him. "Bear is a complement compared to some animals I can think of."

Naruto pouted, but a smile soon worked its way onto his face. "I'm glad I can count on you, Shikamaru. I got all worried about nothing huh?"

"Heh, yeah. You better return the favour though," Shikamaru smiled. "If my hide needs saving, I hope you've got my back."

Naruto grinned wider and shot Shikamaru a thumbs up. "Believe it!" Turning his attention back to the group of ninja in front of them, Naruto's eyes widened. "Woah. Look at that!"

They landed one side of wire fencing several metres tall, behind which lay a huge, dark, imposing forest. Trees were as wide as buildings and even the smaller roots and vines were thickier than Shikamaru's whole body.

"This is the location of the next exam?" Shikamaru wondered, looking at the signs on the wire fence that clearly read 'danger' and 'keep out'. "Are we even allowed in this area?"

"Welcome to the stage for the second test. This is Practice Arena 44. Also known as the Forest Of Death," Anko introduced, stressing the death part more than was probably necessary. "And soon, you'll find out just why it's called the Forest of Death."

Gravitating back to his team, Shikamaru could hear Choji mumble, "This place looks creepy."

Naruto frowned, hands on his hips and shoved his ass out, saying in a mocking tone, "Soon you'll find out why it's called the Forest of Death." He jabbed a finger at Anko. "You think that scares me! There's nothing I'm afraid of!"

"Yeah, except written tests," Ino muttered.

"Oho~. A spirited one." Anko smiled ominously and Shikamaru paled. Not good.

"Naruto!" he yelled in warning, a kunai already flying from Anko's hand. Then she was gone faster than Shikamaru could track, reappearing behind Naruto.

"S-so fast…" Ino remarked, her eyes wide as saucers.

"Kids like you are killed quickly," Anko chuckled, her tongue coming out to lap at the blood dripping from a cut on Naruto's cheek. "Spraying that red blood I love so~."

Anko tensed, then swung around like a coiled spring, another kunai in hand meeting the tongue of a Grass ninja, but not cutting them.

"Here's your kunai," the ninja said, his voice giving Shikamaru chills.

"Why thank you," Anko smiled, her finger slipping into the loop at the kunai hilt. Naruto's face was still in her hand and the poor blonde looked about to have a heart attack. "But you know," she added harshly, "You shouldn't sneak up behind me. Unless you want to die?"

"No," replied the ninja, "I just get excited when I see blood. Plus, you cut my hair when you threw that kunai. That wasn't very nice."

Choji frowned, "Are all the examiners crazy?"

"Forget the examiners, what's up with that creepy grass ninja?" Shikamaru replied.

"And the killing intent," Ino added softly. Both boys turned to her with eyebrows raised. "You can't feel it?" They shook their heads. "She flashed some when she threw the kunai at Naruto. Then when the grass ninja appeared. We should definitely keep away from his team," she added, barely above a whisper, "I can feel something dark washing off of that guy."

"Ah, sorry about that," Anko apologised, appearing not to have heard Ino. The grass ninja also seemed oblivious as he went back to his team. "It looks like there's a lot of blood thirsty people this year. That should make this fun. Everyone! Before we start the test, I need you to sign these!" Anko called out loudly, going to the stall beside the wire fence where Shikamaru could see three ninja sat at a desk, one of whom passed Anko a stack of forms.

"I need you all to sign these wavers," she explained, holding the documents high so everyone could see.

"Eh? Why?" asked Naruto, holding his hands out for one anyway.

"Well, you see. People are probably going to die in this test, so if you guys don't sign these forms saying you understand the risks and are okay with possibly dying…" Anko started in a happy tone that didn't at all befit the subject matter, "That means I'm responsible for your deaths. I'll explain the test, but you can't begin until you've signed these and handed them into the booth behind me."

"I don't like the sound of this one," Shikamaru mumbled, eyeing Anko warily as she went about handing the forms.

"Yeah, can't believe I'm saying this, but I think we should read the fine print before getting ourselves into something crazy," Choji said squinting at his form.

Once everyone had a waver, Anko raised her voice to gather everyone's attention once more. "Alright, now I'll explain what you guys have to do here. In layman's terms, this is a survival exercise."

Choji groaned. Ino quickly elbowed him in the side. "Shhh!"

"This area, Practice Arena 44 is so numbered because it has forty-four locked gates, one of which you can see here behind me," Anko explained, pulling out a scroll with a map of the arena on it. "A tower lies in the centre and a river flows through the middle. All other land is forest. The distance from the gates to the tower is about ten kilometres."

"So looking at that, we can either travel in a straight line or follow the river," Ino noted.

"Assuming the tower is the goal," Shikamaru agreed.

"During the test, you will have to complete a single task," Anko said, rolling the map away and pulling out two more scrolls, sealed with bands. "Using any method available to you, you will compete in a no rules scroll battle." She shifted her hands so the characters on the scrolls could be seen. A white scroll bearing the character for heaven, and a black scroll bearing the character for earth. "You will fight over these 'heaven' and 'earth' scrolls. Each team will be given one of the two types of scroll from the booth once you hand your correctly filled in wavers. The other type you will have to take from another team. There are twenty-six teams here, so thirteen will be given a 'Heaven Scroll' and the other thirteen will receive an 'Earth Scroll'. To pass this test, your team must acquire one of each kind of scroll and reach the tower."

Choji raised his eyebrow, "Half?"

"Anko did say she was going to get rid of half of us at the first exam hall," Shino noted from behind them.

Choji jumped, "When the hell did you get there?!"

"I've been here the whole time… Did you not notice me?"

"NO!"

"That plus the bloodthirsty guys Anko mentioned means at best half of us pass," Shikamaru said, trying not to give away that he also hadn't noticed Shino.

"There is also a time limit on this test," Anko called. "This second exam will last one hundred and twenty hours. That's five days exactly."

"F-five days?" Ino balked.

"EH? What about dinner?" Choji demanded.

"You're on your own," Anko shrugged dismissively. "There's food in the forest you can gather, just mind out for poisonous fungai, plants, berries, insects, man-eating beasts…"

"Yeah, forget it, we're quitting," Choji deadpanned.

"And as some of you have noticed, thirteen passing teams is unlikely. As the days go on, you'll have less time to rest between travelling and trying to find teams with a scroll different to your own. The distance you'll have to cover will seem impossible if you leave it too long," Anko told them, "And it isn't just the other ninja you have to worry about, the forest is crawling with all manner of things that will try to kill you too. You probably won't get much sleep. Some might even die from the harsh conditions and inability to gather your own food or treat wounds."

Ino and Shikamaru caught gazes as they looked at Choji's arm. If they went ahead, their usual formations wouldn't be viable. Choji was already vulnerable to infection and there wasn't any certainty they could treat anything to Itachi-sensei's skill level.

"It's five days. Nothing too bad should happen in that time," Shikamaru said, as much to convince himself as to convince his team.

Anko continued, "Now, let's talk about what will disqualify you."

"Eh, more rules?!" Naruto sagged.

"First, those who don't make it to the tower with both scrolls within the time limit," Anko said raising one finger, "Second, those who complete the task without a full team, be they lost in the forest or dead, I need all three of you at the tower or it's a fail. Also as a rule, there will be no quitting once you begin until the five days are over. The final way to be disqualified is if you look inside either scroll before reaching the tower," Anko declared. "I expressly forbid you from looking at the contents of the scrolls before reaching the tower."

"Why?" asked Choji.

"A Chuunin will be asked to handle confidential information. This is a test of trust, if you look at the scrolls, then why should I risk my life for you if we're on a team when I know you can't even be trusted to take a note from A to B without being nosy?" Anko reasoned. "Anyway, that's enough talking. Exchange your three forms for a scroll then you'll be assigned a gate to start from. If possible, try not to die."

"So… what do you want to do?" Ino asked as the Genin around them shuffled away into teams to sit and read their wavers. By the gate, the ninja at desk was pulling a curtain across to hide which scroll each team was given.

"Huh? Why're you asking me?" Shikamaru frowned. He looked to Choji, "Were you serious about quitting there?"

Choji frowned. "I mean, a little. Dying without food would really suck."

Shikamaru sighed. "Well, let's read through these forms, see if there's anything in here that might tell us what we're in for…"

* * *

It occurred to Itachi that his team had been gone longer than an hour, but no one had come to inform he, Kakashi or Kurenai how their team had done. Figuring he could get away with wandering off, Itachi made to go to the bathroom and instead slipped off to room 301.

Sensing only one chakra inside, Itachi let himself in. Ibiki was collecting exam papers, and there were no Genin to be seen.

"Hmm? Oh, it's you," Ibiki huffed, looking up at Itachi. "The second test will be underway soon, the Sensei will also be moved in the next hour, so you should probably head back to the Staff Tower."

"So… my team passed?" Itachi wondered.

"Akimichi Choji, Nara Shikamaru, Yamanaka Ino right?" At a nod from Itachi, Ibiki nodded. "They did. That Nara kid is creepy smart like his father, he didn't need to gather the answers, and the only cheating he did was to pass the answers to two boys."

"Two boys?" Itachi blinked in confusion, "So he helped someone else?"

"Yeah, Uzumaki Naruto. A curious kid in himself. He has an ego the size of the village."

"Considering his parents, I'd almost assume it's genetic."

Ibiki raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You knew them?"

"My mother was close to his, and they were pregnant around the same time," Itachi shrugged. "I was too young to be left alone back then and ended up meeting them a few times. His father gave me a kunai."

"Damn, I'd be jealous if he were still around," Ibiki chuckled. "Powerful guy to know. But then, maybe he'd have kicked your butt five years ago."

Itachi gave a hollow laugh. "Oh I'm far more scared of Naruto's mother than his father. She would have beat me half to death and he would have put the pieces in a wheelchair and talked sense into me."

It was Ibiki's turn to laugh, which he did with gusto, leaning on the desk he'd been picking a test paper up from. "Now I don't doubt that," he chuckled, taking a deep breath to calm himself. "She had a temper as fiery as her hair. The next test is the Forest of Death. If you hurry out, you might be able to grab some snacks for the next five days instead of eating ration bars."

Itachi tilted his head to one side. "The sensei aren't allowed to go about their days?"

"You're all basically on mission standby I'm afraid." Itachi groaned. He might never have complained about it in ANBU, but he was older now, had gotten used to _not_ living on ration packs. And he could be a little more expressive since he didn't have any reputation to uphold.

When Itachi got back to the Staff Tower, a small bag of shopping in hand it seemed he was just in time as a small team of fuuinjutsu specialists were waiting for him and the other Sensei of passing teams. "Are you all here now? We have the recorded gate your teams are starting from in the Forest of Death and will be applying seals that teleport you to them should they open the sleeves in the tower as directed. If they open them early invigilators will appear instead and knock them out before removing them from the training area."

"Gate twenty-seven huh?" Itachi remarked.

"Oh? You're able to read the sealing script?" the ninja writing on his forearm asked.

"Not much, only the easier stuff. I wanted to go to Uzushiogakure when I was younger to learn more," Itachi explained.

"It was destroyed during the Third Ninja War, so I'm not sure what there is to be learned from ruins."

"Me neither, so I haven't been. Maybe one day." Itachi mused, shifting to let a ninja from Kiri take his place.

"If you all have your seals, please follow me to the standby area!" the head of the sealing squad called several minutes later. Reluctantly Itachi followed the other Jonin. At worst he'd be stuck with Kakashi and Kurenai for five days. Lips quirking into a small smile, Itachi thought of how confidently his team had walked into the first exam. He figured if those three could keep that energy and walk towards death with a grin, then he could definitely handle five days of prying.


	12. Chapter 11: Decision

This took a little while as I'm still debating a few things and I've realised I don't remember the Chuunin exams well beyond footnotes. I'm not massively pleased with this one, but that could just be the stress of isolation finally hitting me. Ah well. Just have to make the next one better.

Also I discovered yesterday Word doesn't want to check my spellings anymore because I have too many errors. Half my fault for writing a single 50k+ document and half because I hadn't added anyone's names to the dictionary until yesterday. So if there's been an increase in spelling/grammar mistakes, I am very sorry

* * *

It had taken them the best part of twenty minutes to read and sign the forms. They didn't know for sure if they'd succeed, but trying was the only option. It was like Ibiki said; they needed to be willing to risk their lives to move on in their ninja careers.

"How long do we have?" Shikamaru asked the invigilator that had taken them to gate twenty-seven.

"Twenty-five minutes," the older ninja responded. "I'll unlock the gate when you have five minutes remaining."

"Alright, then I guess we better start planning," he said, turning to Choji and Ino. "I think our best bet is to either pick off a team straightaway or set up camp near the tower and ambush a team later on when they're weaker from battling."

"We have a Heaven Scroll, so we need to make sure we target a team with an Earth Scroll," Ino hummed, the scroll safely tucked away in her pouch. "There's no way to be sure the teams nearest us were given Earth Scrolls, so we'll have to do recon and try and figure it out."

"If we're stuck doing recon anyway, we could pick off teams the first time they camp," Choji suggested. "Rather than make distance, we find an area that's easily defensible and camp there until nightfall. Most teams aren't good in the dark, so they'll stop."

"That's certainly an option," Shikamaru agreed, hand on his chin thoughtfully. "It'll be a lot of watching and waiting if we want to do this subtly. I don't really want to get into a fight."

"Us neither," Ino said. "So we could set camp at… maybe the five kilometre mark? Rest for a couple of hours then split up, try find other teams and then meet up to share our info."

Shikamaru nodded. "Sounds like a plan. If we can get this done in a day, that'd be ideal."

"Yeah, I don't really want to scavenge around," Choji said, his hand itching toward his pack.

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes, "Snacks in base only, Choji. We don't want anyone tracking us before we're home free."

"Yeah, yeah I know. But it's been two hours already," the other boy whined, stretching his arms instead to distract himself.

Time ticked away slowly, but once the invigilator moved to unlock the chain over the gate, they didn't have to wait much longer.

"The Chuunin exam second stage has begun!" The door flew open and Team 10 raced off, Shikamaru in the lead, Ino in the middle and Choji in the rear. They ran up trees and leaped between the branches, the huge gaps daunting, but preferable to leaving tracks in the forest floor. As they travelled the sounds of screams caught their ears.

"You're kidding? The attacks have started already?" Choji frowned.

"Seems that way," Shikamaru said with a sigh.

"Guys," Ino interrupted, "That tree up ahead, avoid it."

Shikamaru slid to a stop on a different tree trunk, crouching to keep his balance. "What's up?"

"I'm… not sure," Ino frowned, stopping on a branch below Shikamaru, Choji landing next to her. "Just… something feels off about it. Like… there's something there?"

Shikamaru reached into his weapon pouch, pulling out an explosive tag and moved to attach it to a kunai. "Get ready to run if we need to," he warned. Seeing the other two crouch, Shikamaru checked his own retreat was clear before throwing his kunai at the canopy of tree that bothered Ino. The explosion rocked the area and for a moment, nothing happened.

"Jeez, Ino, way to make us freak out. Now the whole forest knows where we are," Choji complained.

Shikamaru frowned, "No, she was right, look. Something's coming out." He pointed to a number of dark objects that were starting to fall.

Ino cringed, "Are those… _leeches_?!"

Choji nodded, not looking overly pleased by them either. "They drink blood right? If they're that big they could kill us in minutes."

"Seems like we're going to have to be really careful," Shikamaru said thoughtfully. "Ino, how'd you know they were there?"

Ino shrugged, "After we got back from Bakugakure, my dad wanted to train with me. It wasn't like fighting or anything, he just made me meditate and focus on my senses. Apparently a lot of my clan are sensor types."

"Sensor type? What's that?" Choji asked.

"Someone who can sense chakra," Ino said, "I mean, like… better than normal."

Shikamaru shrugged a shoulder, "It's better than nothing, and if it stops us getting sucked to death I'm up for it."

"How long can you keep it up?" Choji wondered.

"I have to be focusing my chakra to sense people and things," Ino told them, "The only reason I spotted the leeches is I was trying it while we were moving to see if I could do it without being stock still."

Shikamaru's gaze sharpened, an idea forming. "Is your range bigger while still? How accurate is it?"

"Uh, well, yeah, a bit," Ino nodded, seeming slightly embarrassed. "It… I think I can sense about… half a kilometre radius from myself? I'm not great at distinguishing the chakras yet – I couldn't tell you if it's a human or a like a leech or how many – but I can be fairly sure of the direction."

"Can you tell how strong the chakra is?"

Ino shook her head, "Not really, I've not been practising long enough, and Dad told me people can suppress their chakra, so the reading could be wrong."

"People at Genin level shouldn't be hiding their chakra," Shikamaru argued, but thought of the creepy Grass ninja from before. "But… maybe there are some people in here who are way stronger than us?"

"Like that Gaara guy?" Choji offered, "His team did a B-Rank mission, that's supposed to be completely off the table for Genin."

"Yeah." Shikamaru looked around the forest. "Let's keep moving and make camp in the next hour. Then Ino, I want you to look around for teams in the area, if we can find them without sight, it might be easier to sneak up on them and figure out the strengths of different teams and which scroll they have."

Choji and Ino nodded, "Right!"

It took them almost the whole hour to find somewhere they were comfortable camping, then carefully trapping the area so they could rest, with Choji taking watch while Ino focused her chakra and passed the information on to Shikamaru. "Two teams northeast? Two somethings have spotted one another anyway… there's a lot of movement," she explained softly, a light sweat coating her brow as she concentrated. "And something to the west. There's a bunch of chakras disappearing from the east, but it's right on the edge of what I can detect… could be anything. Clones going poof?"

Shikamaru frowned. This really wasn't a lot to go off. "That's three directions and there's three of us. We can risk splitting up?" he offered, looking at his teammates.

"Not gonna lie, Shikamaru, all of those routes sound like death-traps," Choji said, pulling out two large bags of crisps. Turning, he threw one over to Ino before going back to his watch. "You guys share that one and get a little rest. If two teams found each other north, we could see if they left a scroll behind?"

Ino pulled the bag open without complaint, pressing the heel of one hand to her forehead a moment while the other one grabbed some crisps.

"Headache?" Shikamaru asked.

"Yeah, it'll fade in a bit," she assured. "I'd certainly prefer randomly coming across the right scroll."

Shikamaru laughed, "We should be so lucky." They sat for half an hour before Shikamaru turned to the tree behind them. Pulling out a kunai, he crudely carved a weasel into the trunk. "We'll meet back here in two hours. Go slow, be careful, make it back here."

Choji and Ino nodded. The next second, they were shooting through the trees in separate directions.

* * *

Itachi reclined on a sofa in the Forest of Death's central tower. The tower itself on the outside looked like a mess of rooms, and Itachi knew it was originally used to house and train ANBU operatives. This meant rather than being forced to socialise with the other Jonin, Itachi was able to relax in one of the adjoining rooms on the upper floors. They were also welcome to train in the arena on one of the floors below, but Itachi was sure that was only offered as a formality. None of the Jonin present would show off their abilities with foreign ninja present. Too much intel on offer.

The entire bottom level was made up of entry points so the Genin hopefuls could complete their mission and be greeted by their Sensei. The next level was more of more of a self-service medical bay, with bandages, salves and two medical ninja that were hoping to do absolutely nothing over the next five days beyond treating minor wounds or leading young ninja over to the beds on the third level. After that was the arena with a viewing platform and all the floors above were temporary accommodation like the one Itachi was settled in.

The room was fairly plain, and certainly nothing to complain about. The sofa was worn and smelt faintly of blood and sweat, but it was soft and the room was quiet, which sometimes, was all Itachi demanded of a space.

He didn't expect his team to be finished for some time and hoped he'd be able to relax in peace before Kakashi found him again.

"Speaking of Kakashi," Itachi mumbled, raising his hips so he could retrieve Icha Icha from his pouch. He stared at the cover for a long moment, highly doubtful it could hold any secrets. But he also didn't see any point in wasting his peace and quiet sleeping. Perhaps if he was found reading this, he would be left alone? "That's probably why Kakashi does it," Itachi mused, flipping the book open with his thumb and skimming over the first page.

Itachi had to admit, Jiraya certainly had a way with words. His literary voice was clear and easy to consume and there was something oddly satisfying about the main character's plight to woo the leading lady. She was apparently a beautiful woman and a devil with her liquor, but also immensely caring and self-conscious.

He was two-thirds of the way though Icha Icha Paradise when the door to the room opened. Willing to test his theory, Itachi didn't look up from the book, didn't react at all to the person entering and closing the door behind them. "I told you it's good."

"I'm just bored, Kakashi," Itachi assured, rolling his eyes and looking over to the Copy Ninja.

"Oh good, then maybe we can play a game," Kakashi replied brightly.

Itachi blinked. "A game?"

"Uhuh, to get to know one another better."

"Didn't we know each other well enough in ANBU?" Itachi challenged, reluctantly sitting up. Kakashi wouldn't go away any time soon, so he didn't really have any choice but to indulge the man. "Where's Kurenai?"

"With her team, they finished a little bit ago," Kakashi answered as he came to sit down beside Itachi. "A team broke your record by the way."

Itachi frowned. It was already well after sunset, and the exam had started early afternoon. "My record was four hours. Someone beat that?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yup, the Suna team. Ninety-seven minutes," Kakashi confirmed, "The other Jonin are buzzing about it."

"That… is concerning," Itachi said slowly.

"You're telling me. I saw them around Konoha before the exams started. The little one… something wasn't right. He reminded me of you, actually."

Itachi narrowed his eyes. "I don't know your intended comparison, but I'm offended all the same."

"I mean that you're basically a ninja machine, always so serious," Kakashi tried, waving a hand.

"We interact mostly when I'm on duty," Itachi challenged. "I'm not as big a clown as Obito, but I'm not a robot either."

Mentioning Obito seemed to have hit a nerve as Kakashi stiffened, though he didn't react more to the mention of his dead teammate. "If you were like Obito, I'd have feared for the Uchiha clan long before your exile," he said instead.

"This again? You saw the surveillance the Uchiha were under," Itachi griped, knowing damn well the ANBU lookout with a telescope specifically aimed at the Uchiha compound still existed. "It wasn't right. I wanted to change that and misjudged the feelings of my kin. They're better men than I was back then. My father wiser than I gave him credit for." He shrugged. "I've only ever wanted them to be happy, if that doesn't involve me, then fine."

"So you aren't bitter about it?"

"Of course, but I've had five years to think about it." Itachi scratched the back of his head, annoyed. "I was a dumb kid back then, am I not allowed to grow up?"

"I'd argue you're still a dumb kid," Kakashi shot, "But I agree, hindsight is the ultimate power. If you've come to terms with that though, why not try talk to them? Ask for your life back?" he asked, his body language deceptively relaxed as he looked at Itachi from the corner of his eye.

"I don't know where to even begin with that," Itachi said honestly. It was entirely possible he could try and settle back in at home, but would he have to explain himself to the clan? The village? To Sasuke? "It's… just easier to be angry. I don't have to think about what the clan want from me. I can just… be," Itachi sighed. It was something he'd noticed while training with his team. He didn't have to have all the answers, he didn't have to be proper. They just needed someone to train with that wasn't connected to their parents. Because they didn't want to be perfect all the time either. Couldn't be. And it had taken Itachi far too long into his ninja career to realise he couldn't always be perfect either.

Kakashi hummed thoughtfully. "Clans are stuffy huh?"

"The hours long meetings were yes," Itachi shrugged. "Sharingan users were allowed in as soon as they unlocked the dojutsu, otherwise you had to be eighteen. And attendance was often non-optional."

"Ew, I'm glad I never got asked then," Kakashi remarked. Itachi snorted.

"I expect so. More than one once the topic of reclaiming your eye came up. Fugaku always shot it down though." Obito had given it freely, Fugaku always said, and would hear nothing about anyone's idea to take it from Kakashi as it was a part of his precious friend.

"I'll thank him next time I see him."

"Urgh, don't. I'll get arrested just so he can lecture me for mentioning what goes on in clan meetings," Itachi said, rolling his eyes.

Kakashi chuckled. "Fine. I suppose it would get awkward for your team if you were dragged off to the Police Station. Especially during the exams. The next stage is a public tournament isn't it? I assume if your guys make it, you'll want to train."

"It certainly wouldn't help matters, but I suppose it depends on the pairings," Itachi shrugged. "I don't know what most of the ninja in these exams are capable of, so creating strategies would be hard, I'd only be able to reinforce what they already know. If they wanted to learn new jutsu, they may as well ask their parents."

"I wish I had that luxury," Kakashi sighed, flopping back in the chair, unimpressed. "Only Sasuke has a family to fall back on, and half the time I have to actively drag him away from solo or family training. Because his teamwork skills suck."

Itachi raised a leg and kicked him unceremoniously, "Don't give me that look, there's a five year gap between us. I am not responsible for Sasuke's teamwork ability."

"You sucked at it too, the only reason no one comments is you used to compensate for it by being a complete ninja unit in one body," Kakashi accused, grabbing Itachi's leg and pulling it to the side so he could get in Itachi's face as the Uchiha slipped down the sofa.

"I could too work in a team!" Itachi shot, grimacing at Kakashi's masked face barely a few inches from his own. "We worked fine together in ANBU and I was perfectly fine when put in a unit with Shisui."

"So basically you preferred being with competent ninja?" Kakashi challenged.

Itachi shoved himself into Kakashi's personal space, their Hitai-ate pressing together. "I was eight when my teammate was killed. Forgive me for wanting people on my team that could look after themselves," he growled, watching with only slight satisfaction as Kakashi's eye widened. "You aren't the only one that lost people. Both my teammates were older than me. One died, the other quit being a ninja, and my Sensei was a waste of space that wouldn't even look at me half the time."

His shoulders heaved and Itachi belatedly noticed he was panting, and shaking with anger. Behind him, the door clicked open once more.

"I know you're avoiding me, Kakash-eeeeee!" Itachi turned his head and Kakashi shifted to look over Itachi's shoulder. Gai physically reeled back, his face beet red. "I-I'll come back later, you two are obviously busy with the passions of youth! Goodbye!" The door slammed shut, leaving a thick silence in the room.

"Passions of…" Itachi frowned. Gai was weird. Turning back to Kakashi, Itachi realised that not only had Kakashi not let go of his ankle, the older man had placed himself between Itachi's legs, the two getting closer as their disagreement heated up. It… must have looked like a very different situation to Gai. Flopping back over the chair arm with a groan, Itachi ran a hand over his face and shook his leg until Kakashi let go. "That is going to be awkward later."

Kakashi put his head in his hands and had a look of shellshock about him. "He's not going to believe nothing was happening," Kakashi groaned.

"I don't much care what he thinks, the man's a freak," Itachi replied, reaching down and plucking Icha Icha Paradise off of the floor. If Gai saw that too, it probably wouldn't help Kakashi's attempts to dissuade Gai from whatever the man thought he and Itachi had been doing.

"All the same, I don't need half the Jonin corps thinking I'm in a relationship with you," Kakashi argued.

"Like I'd let your ancient ass in my pants," Itachi dismissed flippantly. Getting up, he added, "You're practically geriatric." Leaving a stunned and likely hurt Kakashi behind, Itachi looked for another vacant room to hide away in until the blessed moment his team would complete the exam and he could talk to them instead of crazy Jonin.

* * *

They hadn't located a scroll at any of the battles Ino had found and as night fell, struggled to locate another team. Sensing for too long would put Ino completely out of the fight, so as it got on for midnight, they reluctantly made camp, with Choji taking first watch and Ino on last. They had enough food to get them to lunch, though Choji was starting to get antsy about his snacks and their rapid diminishment.

"We need to find a team today," Shikamaru explained as the sun was beginning to rise. "My shadows are at their longest now, so it'll be a good time to engage a group."

"There's a group of three to the west, sleeping if I had to guess, they aren't moving," Ino confirmed.

"Good, we'll head that way," Shikamaru decided. "Keep your sensing to a minimum, we might need your Mind Transfer."

"Got it," Ino nodded standing up. "I'll take point, I know the direction of the ninja." Hopefully they were ninja. Injured too would be nice.

Feeling time was of the essence, they headed out as soon as Choji was done eating his current snack, Ino leading the way. She navigated them around trees filled with more leeches and over a sleeping tiger before they started heading towards the ground, taking to the bushes and slowing their approach.

"Hey… isn't that kid a Hyuuga?" Shikamaru frowned as they looked over a low set of bushes. In the middle of a clearing was a bot who looked a fair bit like Hinata, even having the same lilac pupil-less eyes. The boy turned and they all ducked down, not wanting to fight him. Their target was close and if they alerted them, it would slow down their ability to get another scroll.

"I know you're hiding there," the boy said, "Come out already."

The three tensed, sharing a look with each other. How did he know they were there? They had purposely slowed down and been more stealthy before even spotting this guy and he knew where they were? The sound of a kunai being drawn forced them to act, Shikamaru springing up, followed by Ino and Choji.

"Hey, we don't want to fight," Shikamaru said, hands raised placatingly.

The boy scoffed, "Like you're even worth my time." He turned and walked away, surprising Shikamaru. Beside him, Choji glared, his hand closing into a fist. The Hyuuga boy paused. "Do you intend to attack me from behind, since your hand is in a fist?"

Choji startled, looking at his fist and Ino hurried to speak up, "Ah-of course not!"

"Then leave! Taking scrolls of a bunch of cry-babies like you would make me the laughing stock of the village," the boy barked.

Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Shikamaru tapped his teammates on the shoulder, leading the way back into the brush, "Yup!" He could practically hear the throb of a vein in the Hyuuga's temple.

"How'd he even see that?" Choji asked once the boy was gone. "He had his back to us, does he have eyes in the back of his head?"

"Let's put that to one side for now and just be happy he didn't want to fight," Ino sighed. "We might have been able to get the scroll, but if he could see your hand without looking and find us when hidden, we wouldn't have gotten to the goal before he or his team destroyed us."

"Aren't you bothered he called us cry-babies?"

"Shikamaru was the one crying, not me," Ino shrugged.

Shikamaru gave a weak smile. "It's annoying, but fine, Choji. Are we still on track to that team you found, Ino?"

"Huh? Uh, gimme a sec." She frowned and closed her eyes, hands slipping into the ram seal to aid her focus. "Not really, we went off course running from that Hyuuga guy, but we're near some other teams, could be worth watching them? I think they're fighting, so it's possible to take a scroll from one of them?"

"Well, it's likely if two teams are fighting, they know they have opposing scrolls. So one should be the Earth Scroll we're after," Shikamaru agreed. "Choji?"

"I just want to get out of this forest soon. This exam… it's not what I expected," he grumbled.

Ino reached out and rubbed his shoulder. "We'll be okay. Itachi-sensei totally owes us dinner from this even if we fail here."

"Barbeque pork?" Choji asked hopefully, his mood picking up a touch.

"With extra ribs. His treat," Ino insisted, making Choji smile. Shikamaru had his doubts that Itachi would be quite so willing, but didn't comment.

"Alright, let's get this scroll and get out of here!"

The people fighting it turned out, were Rock Lee and some Sound ninja before the roots of a tree. The tree had come up in some areas, allowing what looked like another team to shelter under it, mostly hidden from the world.

"Good hiding spot, we probably would have gone right past them without Ino's sensing," Choji noted as they looked on from another cover of bushes.

"Hey, wait a sec, that girl behind Lee, it's Sakura," Shikamaru said, his eyes wide. He couldn't mistake the pink hair. "Which means the two behind must be Sasuke and Naruto. But why is Lee helping them?" Lee's team had split up, that much was obvious, but surely it was to search for scrolls. "Are they fighting over the right to Naruto's team's scroll?"

"Sakura… she's all beat up," Ino mumbled beside him, her expression haggard.

Choji pointed to the tree roots. "Naruto and Sasuke aren't in a good way either."

It surely occurred to all three of them that if Team 7 still had a scroll, now was the perfect time to take it, but none of them mentioned it. It wouldn't be right to take a scroll off of a team that couldn't even defend themselves right now.

As they spoke, Lee charged at the Sound nin, recklessly taking on all three. Picking apart the Sound nins formation with well-placed blows, the bandages around Lee's arms wrapped around the larger of the Sound ninja. Arms strapped to his sides, the ninja was unable to react to Lee dragging him around, ultimately throwing the other ninja to the ground with enough force to snap his neck. The other sound ninja seemed aware of this, the other male ninja calling out to his comrade as his own hands smacked the dirt. "Dosu!"

"Some kind of earth jutsu?" Shikamaru guessed, watching as the ground rippled and the point of Lee and Dosu's contact with the ground became a mound of soft dirt, cushioning the blow. Pulling himself from the ground as Lee hurriedly made some distance between him and the other ninja, Dosu didn't waste a moment in charging Lee, pulling back his sleeve to reveal some strange device on his arm, almost like an ocarina with no mouth piece. His punch fell short as Lee dodged, but that didn't seem to lessen the or even stop the blow, as Lee fell to the ground and promptly threw up.

"Lee!" Sakura cried.

"There's more to it than just dodging my attacks," Dosu mocked.

"Shit, they're Sound ninja, so they have to be using _sound_-based attacks!" Shikamaru realised. "Even if you dodge, sound vibrates in the air, that's what caused Lee to puke."

"So… it's the sound frequency on Lee's eardrum causing the effect?" Ino summarised. "How are we supposed to defend against that? The inner ear controls balance, if you fuck that up, you're no more mobile than a child."

"We have to immobilize them. If they can't move, they probably can't trigger their sound attacks," Shikamaru said, startling as Lee screamed. "What, they're still fighting?!"

"Lee!" Sakura cried again, staring at Lee who lay limp on the floor before her, Dosu leering above them.

"Now, Let's finish this, then I can move on to the others," Dosu said, raising his arm again to strike Lee.

"I won't let you!" Sakura roared, fear for Lee pushing her into action, kunai and shuriken flying from her fingers, only for Dosu to easily block.

"I don't think we can take them, Shikamaru," Choji muttered. "Even that Lee kid Sasuke was so curious about got taken out easily."

"Yeah, which means Sakura definitely can't take them alone," Shikamaru sighed turning to Ino. "You two were good friends right?"

Ino, who was staring at the fight, or what could barely pass as one between Sakura and the Sound ninja, looked pale and frightened. "Wh-what does that have to do with anything?" she muttered. "Sakura's gonna get slaughtered."

"I know," Shikamaru replied patiently, "We haven't fought anyone yet, but she looks like she's running on empty. Ignore the scroll test for the minute. Forget we're in a test at all. Do you want to save her?"

"Huh?" Ino and Choji turned to look at him. Ino was shaking, with fear or worry Shikamaru couldn't be sure. Choji just looked lost.

"Sakura is fighting three against one. Do you really just want to sit here?" Beside them, the sounds of weapons flying and Sakura screaming brought their attention back to the battle. The other Sound boy had his arms raised and Sakura skidded away as though blasted back. Right into the Sound kunoichi's grasp.

Gripping Sakura tightly by a fistful of hair, the girl couldn't move, and she'd landed on her ass, making it hard to turn around and get the other ninja off.

"Hey, Zaku," the Sound ninja called, "You should kill Sasuke in front of this bint. Ninja should be effective, not sexy. That should teach her a lesson."

"Good idea, Kin!" the other ninja laughed, beginning to stride over to the unconscious Sasuke and Naruto now that no one was there to stop them.

"Ino, you need to make a decision, if we aren't all willing, we won't be able to challenge the Sound ninja," Shikamaru pressed. "They're too strong."

"Sakura… I don't think she's done yet?" Choji said. True enough, the girl had pulled out another kunai.

In one swift movement, Sakura swung the kunai between her and Kin, cutting off her long pink hair and allowing Sakura freedom of movement again. With nothing to hold onto, her Hitai-ate slipped off her head.

"Th-that's extreme," Choji muttered.

"Sakura…" Ino breathed.

"Kin! Kill her!" roared Zaku. Back to the other kunoichi, Sakura began weaving hand signs, she couldn't have been any more of an open target. It was the biggest relief to Shikamaru to see the hand signs were for Substitution.

"Her moves are too obvious," Ino realised, tracking Sakura, Zaku doing the same.

"Kin! Keep out of the way," Zaku ordered, twisting and raising his hands to Sakura as the girl threw kunai at him. The Sound nin blasted the kunai back at Sakura with a burst of air from his hands. Sakura barely got her hand signs in, substituting herself and gaining more air as the kunai collided with the wood stump in her place.

"Does… she not know any different jutsu?" Shikamaru asked, unable to comprehend launching an attack with only basic jutsu.

Ino shook her head, hand over her mouth. "She doesn't," the blonde choked out. "She's got no ninja relatives to teach her, and if she did know something else, she would have done it by now."

Where Ino was moments from crying it seemed, Zaku was losing his patience. "When are you going to get it through your head? It's useless!" he yelled at Sakura, reaching for kunai of his own and throwing them at Sakura. This time there was no Substitution jutsu. As was apparently Sakura's plan as she blocked her vitals and used Zaku's confusion to stab him in the arm with a kunai of her own and pin him to the ground with her body, biting his other hand in an attempt to incapacitate the ninja. To keep him from killing Sasuke.

"Let go! Get off me you crazy bitch!" Zaku roared, thrashing around and hitting Sakura in the head as soon as his stabbed arm was free from Sakura's small weight. Blows rained down on Sakura, but to her merit, the girl didn't release Zaku.

Beside Shikamaru, Ino was trembling harder, but no longer with fear, her eyes were sharp, despite the tear in the corner of her eye, her jaw set in a hard line. As Sakura was finally forced off of Zaku, Ino wiped her eyes with the back of her arm. "Let's go. I'd rather die than stand by any more."

Shikamaru nodded, "Choji, follow me. We'll catch them from behind."

"Right!"

Zaku raised his arms to a bloody Sakura, his chakra spiking. Leaving her teammates to slip into the enemy's blindspots, Ino leaped high into the air with a burst of chakra. Pushing some more into a kunai she threw it, the blade sticking into Zaku's other arm deeply, causing him to reel back as Ino landed in front of Sakura.

"I-Ino?" Sakura's voice called out weakly.

"We're still part of another contest, Sakura. So I'm not going to let you die here."

Zaku growled, both arms now bleeding slugishly around kunai. "Great, another freak getting in the way."


	13. Chapter 12: Trap

Facing down an enemy was nothing Ino hadn't done before, but protecting her friend? It was daunting. One wrong move and she and Sakura would be dead. She only knew a portion of what these Sound ninja were capable of and didn't know when Choji and Shikamaru would be in place. Behind her, Lee, Sasuke and Naruto were unconscious and Sakura was injured. Ino was on her own for the moment, and from the look of the Sound ninja, she didn't seem to intimidate them.

"Ino… why?" Sakura whimpered, trying to pull herself off of the ground.

"It'd be no fun beating you to being Sasuke's bride if you were dead. That basically means he'd have no choice but to pick me," Ino reasoned, an easy smile on her lips. Thinking about the frankly stupid rivalry diffused the situation, if only a little. Drawing a kunai to defend herself, Ino glanced around at the Sound ninja. They were spread out, Kin to the right, Dosu to the left, and Zaku before her. She only had to hold her own and take down one. She took a deep breath to calm herself. Back up was coming, it would be okay.

"More insects huh? You Leaf ninja are like ants," Dosu mocked. "Or cockroaches."

Ino leered, "I think we're more like wasps. Hurt one of our own and the entire swarm will take revenge."

"Ino, there's no way you can fight them on your own," Sakura argued.

"Who says I'm on my own?"

"Huh?" Sakura looked on in confusion while Ino smirked. A dark shadow shot out and launched itself at Dosu, the ninja realising too late that he was locked in place.

"What the-?" Dosu growled, his limbs moving against his will, arms extending to the sky, fingers touching the top of his head.

"Human Boulder!" a voice roared from Zaku's side, a huge green and cream ball charging towards the ninja.

"Another one?" Zaku balked, turning and attempting to blast Choji, only for the boy to bounce and increase his rotations, landing powerfully and scattering debris everywhere, Zaku barely escaping.

"Wh-what the hell are you doing Dosu?!" Kin screeched, distracting her long enough for Ino to charge in knock the girl out quickly, Mind Transfer too dangerous without all three being locked down by Shadow Possession.

Leaning down and grabbing Kin by her scruff, Ino held her kunai to the girl's throat. "Now, leave your scroll and get out of here, or I'll kill your teammate!" she announced confidently. "Once I can't sense your chakra anymore, I'll leave her here."

It… had seemed like a relatively solid threat. The Sound ninja could still compete without a scroll, but without a teammate, they'd be disqualified. However, all Zaku did was smirk. In the space between Choji's landing and next attack, Zaku blasted air at Kin and Ino, smacking Ino into one of the tree roots. "Gah!"

"Ino!" Shikamaru cried, unable to come to her aid while he was holding Dosu.

"Haaaa!" Choji cried, rolling towards Zaku again, the boy jumping away with an annoyed growl.

"Yeah, yeah, Fatty, no way you can keep this up!" Zaku challenged, only annoying Choji further. Choji kept his focus on Zaku, weaving and bouncing, trying to draw the kid to an area he couldn't escape from.

"Indeed, these seem quite high calibre techniques," Dosu noted, "So all we have to do is wait you both out. You'll run out of chakra eventually and then we can reach our true goal."

"You're true goal? Aren't you here to become Chuunin?" Shikamaru asked.

"We couldn't give less of a damn about the exams or these scrolls. What we want, is Sasuke," Dosu answered, accompanied by a wave of killing intent that had Ino shuddering.

"Shit… Ino! Knock this guy out, then we'll both help Choji!" Shikamaru called.

"Yeah, not happening," Zaku smirked, his latest dodge landing him beside Shikamaru.

"Shikamaru, look out!" Ino cried, but it was too late as the Sound ninja raised his hands and struck.

"GAH!" Shikamaru's concentration went with the blow, and his Shadow Possession too, Dosu flipping to land neatly with the forced momentum the last of Shikamaru's jutsu had given him, right in front of Ino.

"Now, let's deal with you and your empty threats," Dosu said, flexing his arm and pulling up the sleeve to reveal the strange device on his arm. Shikamaru landed with a crash in the trunk of a tree before collapsing on the ground in a heap. Choji, no longer in his expanded form ran over to check on him, hurriedly picking him up and dodging Zaku's next air blast.

Dosu swung and Ino dodged, leaving Kin behind, but just like when he attacked Lee, it didn't matter. Her head rang with noise, her vision splitting. Screaming in pain Ino clapped her hands over her ears. She tried to turn to find Choji and fell on her ass. Tried to get up, but her legs couldn't find footing. Dosu was getting closer. Someone was screaming, but Ino couldn't figure the voice out.

It hurt to move her head. Her body wouldn't obey her and all her senses were screaming danger. Her heart felt like it was beating in her throat, making the ache in her head worse. She couldn't just sit here. She had to move!

Which way was danger? Her senses reached out, chakra flaring as it probed the area. Instantly she could find one that was very _very_ bad. Where was it? One in front. One, two, three, four behind. Wait. Three again, the big, dangerous one had moved to her left, attacking another chakra source.

"Ch-Choji?" Ino bit out weakly, forcing her eyes open, the light assaulting her brain like a cruel hangover. Unable to stop herself, she threw up before having enough control over her own body to look for her team. Instead of the dangerous chakra belonging to Dosu and seeing him attacking one of her teammates as she expected, Ino saw Zaku pinned under Sasuke, who was very much the source of danger she as sensing. Sasuke had his foot on Zaku's back, and both arms held both of Zaku's behind him, restraining the Sound ninja and causing him to cry out as Sasuke pressed until Zaku collapsed on the floor, a loud snapping noise accompanying the motion.

Sasuke's chakra, dark and tainted in some way, flared as he turned to Dosu, who seemed to sense the danger too. Ino tried to get to her feet again, only for her stomach to lurch and empty a second time. She could feel a weak chakra going towards Sasuke's. Kin maybe? Ino wondered, taking an age to get her head to move to look at Sasuke again. Again Ino was wrong, Sakura had found the strength to stand and was restraining Sasuke from behind in a hug.

Somehow, the dark chakra was fading from Sasuke's and without it, the boy fell to the ground, though it seemed Dosu wasn't going to risk it coming back. He revealed his scroll, an Earth Scroll, and placed it on the ground. "You're strong, and we can't defeat you at this time, Sasuke. So take this as payment for letting us leave," he proposed, coming over to drag Zaku to his feet and sling one of the boy's broken arms over his shoulder before grabbing the unconscious Kin. "A strange situation has occurred that we must investigate before we return. But know, if we return for you, we shall not retreat next time."

Dragging his teammates off, they were nearly out of the clearing before Sakura yelled, "Wait! Who is Orochimaru? What did he do to Sasuke? And why Sasuke?"

Dosu seemed to consider the questions a moment before replying, "I don't know. We were only ordered to kill Sasuke." He paused another moment before continuing his leave. No one stopped them.

"Ino! Are you okay?" Choji called, running over with a dazed Shikamaru stumbling behind.

Wincing, hand on her head, Ino didn't reply straight away. "Don't shout, I'm gonna puke again," she mumbled, her other hand sluggishly wrapping around her middle.

"Yeah, I kinda doubt there's anything left to throw up," Choji commented, helping Ino to her feet and getting her away from the puke puddle.

A kunoichi with her hair in two tight buns ran past them, "Lee!"

"Those must be Lee's teammates," Choji supplied, looking from the girl to the high branch of a tree, where the Hyuuga boy from before looked down at them like an angry eagle.

"Fat lot of help they were," Ino remarked as Choji helped her walk to where Naruto still laid passed out.

"Mmmm… I'll… protect Sakura…." Naruto mumbled in his sleep.

"The asshole was sleeping?" Ino asked, her eyebrow twitching. "How the fuck do you nap through all that?"

"Maybe it's worth kicking him awake and bringing him up to speed?" Shikamaru suggested. He was holding himself tenderly and Ino really hoped Shikamaru hadn't broken anything.

"Ooh! Can I do it?" Choji asked, picking up a piece of unused firewood that looked more like a club.

"Wouldn't that be overkill?" Shikamaru asked, easing down next to Ino with a grunt.

"You okay, Shikamaru?" she asked. Choji ignored them both and hit Naruto over the head, waking the idiot with a scream as a lump formed from the strength of Choji's blow. The noise lanced through Ino's ears and she cringed, trying to cover her ears and block the noise as another wave of nausea hit her.

"I could ask you the same," Shikamaru smiled, his hand rubbing her back soothingly.

"Ah! Sasuke!" Naruto cried. Jumping into a crouch and looking around, he soon hit the deck again and shouted, "Everyone, hide! Get down, that bastard, where'd he go?!"

Choji frowned and hit Naruto on his lump again. "Stop shouting, dumbass, Ino'll throw up again."

"The hell is he on about?" Shikamaru asked.

Ino slowly uncurled, looking pale. "Maybe it's to do with that Orochimaru guy Sakura was asking about?"

"Huh? What are you guys doing here anyway?" Naruto asked at a blessedly lower volume. Looking around and seeming to take his surrounding in this time, Naruto scrambled to his feet and ran over to his team. "Sakura! Your hair!?"

"Ah, oh this? I fancied a change," Sakura lied, "I like it longer, but it's just in the way while we're in the forest, and it'll grown back," she explained to Naruto who had crouched down next to her.

"LEE! SNAP OUT OF IT!"

Startling, Ino and Shikamaru turned to find the girl from Lee's team shaking him like a ragdoll, adding a couple of slaps to his face for good measure.

"They're insane… all three of them," Shikamaru muttered. Ino giggled, groaning as the motion vibrated her aching stomach muscles.

"They'll be gone in a minute," she reasoned. "Can you get up? I'm gonna see if Sakura's okay."

"Yeah, I'll be along. I think I'm just bruised."

"What are you guys doing here?" Sasuke asked as Team 10 slowly joined them.

"Hey! I asked them first, Sasuke!" Naruto frowned.

Sakura sighed and ran her hand through her short hair, "They came to save us. Lee too."

Following her gaze, Naruto pointed at them, "Wow! Bushy Brows is here!" Clearly third time's observation was the charm.

"HEY!" Sakura shouted, swivelling to deck Naruto in the face, "Don't be rude to Lee!"

"Meep," Choji squeaked behind Ino, shifting to hide a little more of himself behind Shikamaru. "Why the hell is she so scary now?"

"Maybe we think that 'cause we know her?" Shikamaru suggested. "She was a lot less scary at the academy."

"Nah, she was just that scary, just it was about Sasuke," Choji reasoned. "Ino was like it too."

Ino grit her teeth and clenched her fists. "I can hear you bastards."

"S-SORRY!" both boys shouted, jumping to attention.

Ignoring them, Ino turned to Sakura, who went over to Lee. "Thank you, Lee," Sakura smiled. "Thanks to you, I found the strength not to give up too." Lee looked about to cry at the praise.

"I need to work harder," Lee said. "Sasuke, Tenten said you were the one who defeated the Sound ninja, whereas I could not even hurt them… I lost. Absolutely. You Uchiha are really powerful huh?" he said with a self-deprecating smile, then turned to Sakura. "Sakura, the hidden lotus blooms twice. Next time we meet, I'll be stronger. I swear."

Although it sounded sweet and Sakura smiled gently, Ino thought it seemed a little awkward. And considering Sakura's heart was currently set on Sasuke, if Lee thought he had a romantic chance with Sakura with that ugly bowl cut and gaudy jumpsuit, he honestly had another thing coming.

"Hey, Sakura, come here!" Ino called, letting Sakura have the option to excuse herself. "I'll tidy up your hair!"

Supposedly Sasuke liked girls with long hair. Ino couldn't remember who had started the rumour, but all the girls in their class had grown their hair out in an attempt to make Sasuke look at them, with the sole exception of Hinata, who had mumbled something about not wanting to look like everyone else in her clan.

Ino's hair had been shorter than Sakura's when they'd both started growing it, and yet was easily longer even before Sakura had butchered it off. The pinkette had struggled to get it as long as she had, so Ino knew what cutting it off meant to Sakura. All the effort and the hair serums gone to waste, and she still hadn't been able to save her team or Lee on her own. But then, maybe Sasuke had told her she liked girls with short hair and she had been waiting for an opportunity to cut it without him noticing?

Running her hands through Sakura's hair, Ino made sure she did a good job trimming away the ends to even it out and thinning it so the weight on such a short style wouldn't cause a problem or look weird, even as she grumbled to Sakura, "How the hell are you so filthy, Forehead? And hugging Sasuke!"

"Early bird catches the worm, Pig!" Sakura responded. Knowing Sakura couldn't see, Ino allowed herself a small smile. Boys would come and go, but Sakura was her friend, even if the pinkette wanted them to be rivals for Sasuke's love. Back then, Ino hadn't known what to say. The little scared girl she'd pried out of her shell had assumed Ino also liked Sasuke, just like every girl in their class, and while Sasuke was without a doubt the cutest boy in their class, that dark chakra sent chills down Ino's spine. It had receded, sure, but Ino could sense it was still there, and was just restrained. Like a feral animal in a cage.

Maybe she'd liked him once, but not only did she less of Sasuke, being on a different team, now she could sense it, that darkness was impossible to ignore. It scared her, and also made her scared for Sakura.

"There, you at least look presentable now," Ino said softly, backing away.

"Hey, which kind of scroll did you guys need?" Choji asked, holding up the Sound ninjas' Earth Scroll.

"We lost ours," Sasuke said. "An enemy ninja swallowed theirs and burned ours."

Shikamaru cringed, "What the fuck kind of strategy is that?"

"Well, in that case, he left it for you guys," Choji said, holding the scroll out to Sasuke, "I just figured we might be able to take it if you guys already had an Earth Scroll."

"No, but we'll take your Heaven one," Sasuke responded coldly.

"Like hell we will, Sasuke!" Naruto yelled. "They saved us, we owe 'em!" They looked sourly at each other a moment before Sasuke huffed and looked away.

"I was joking, Dobe."

"I'm gonna believe you there," Shikamaru cut in before Naruto could reply. "But Naruto already told me you wanted to take us out 'cause of Sensei. For what it's worth, Itachi-sensei hasn't mentioned you at all. He doesn't care." With his back to Sasuke as he went to join Ino, Shikamaru didn't see the hurt look that briefly graced Sasuke's features, but Ino saw it. Not that she could figure out why it was there. Maybe he assumed Itachi waxed poetic about how he got disowned all the time? Or perhaps was just shocked Itachi could drop his family just as easily as they had him.

At the mention of Heaven Scroll, the Hyuuga boy's attention turned to Ino, Shikamaru and Choji.

"Hey, move along," Choji glared, moving to shield his teammates from the Hyuuga, "You already said it wasn't worth fighting us, don't make it worse by picking on us right after a fight."

"That boy is right, Neji," Lee spoke up, looking at his irate teammate, "They tried to help Sakura too, it is not right that we battle with them at this time."

Neji's jaw tightened. "Fine, let's just get out of here already, we're wasting time."

"We should go too," Shikamaru pointed out. "The commotion is bound to attract other teams, so we need to move to another area to recuperate."

Knowing Shikamaru was right, Ino nodded and turned to the direction she thought the river was. They needed to properly check themselves over anyway. Then plan on how to get a scroll, find food and still have enough energy to get to the tower. It would probably be the best place to deal with all of those issues. "Later, Sakura," she smiled, trying to stand a little taller as they left. "Bye, Sasuke!"

"See you at the tower, Naruto!" Choji waved, sticking close to Ino and Shikamaru as they took to the trees. "You two sure you're okay up here?"

"It's better than travelling on the ground," Shikamaru reasoned.

"And it won't be for long," Ino added, "I'm pretty sure we're close to the river."

* * *

Ino had been right and after finding a cropping of rocks they could use as camouflage against passing teams, they had waded into the water to clean up and observe their battered bodies, the adrenaline from their right with the Sound ninja well and truly gone now. Shikamaru's back and left side were a mess of blossoming bruises, Ino had a perforated eardrum and an ugly bruise the size of her fist over her left hip. It hurt to walk, but there really wasn't much point in complaining, annoying her team wouldn't get them to the tower any faster.

"I've got bruise ointment, Shikamaru," Choji offered, having just finished re-wrapping his right arm. He was the least effected among them, just tired and slightly dizzy from his jutsu. Getting up and pulling a small tin from his pouch, Choji offered it to Shikamaru who nodded.

"Thanks, Choji. Do you want it after, Ino?" he asked. Sitting down in front of Choji, Shikamaru grimaced as the other boy started working the ointment into Shikamaru's back.

Ino, still naked from her bath but for her purple skirt, looked up from where she'd been carefully binding her chest – changing in front of other ninja was rarely an issue, so long as everyone kept their gazes up, which all of Team 10 did. "Sure, I can wrap over it right?" she asked Choji, who nodded. "Why'd you think to pack some anyway?"

"My Mum made me pack it when I told her and Pops about going in for the exam," he replied. "Can you do it yourself or do you need help?"

"I'll manage. You and Shikamaru can start looking for dinner. I'll make a fire once I'm done," Ino decided, wincing a little as she went back to her wrapping, pausing at the bruise.

"We need a plan," Shikamaru said that afternoon as they waited for the fish he and Choji caught to cook. "It'll be night in a few hours. Two days and no scroll. Now we're injured."

"Nothing we can do about that," Choji argued. "Besides, we can still get a team with our InoShikaCho formation, we just have to knock them all out, right?"

"Jumping out of hiding probably didn't help," Ino mumbled, apologetic.

Shikamaru waved a hand. "Those Sound guys weren't right. When that Zaku guy got close, I saw some weird mark on his hands. I don't think what he was doing was a jutsu so much as a machine that converted chakra. Assuming it even used his chakra."

"That's probably also the case with Dosu, he had ninja training, but the only attacks he made were with that thing on his arm," Ino noted. "I wonder what goes on in Sound?"

"Nothing good." Choji shrugged, reaching out to turn the fish so they cooked evenly. "Other important question: am I the only one with pain killers? 'Cause I'm assuming you two hurt like hell."

"Only when I move or breathe," Shikamaru confirmed. "How many days' worth do you have?"

"I had six days' worth before the first exam… so," Choji reached into his pack for a foiled tray of pills, counting the ones he hadn't used yet. "Two a day… I've got seven doses left. Which is one day's worth each… I could maybe go without?"

"Sorry, I only carry them occasionally," Ino admitted. They weren't standard equipment. "I know the hand signs for that genjutsu Itachi-sensei used though."

"Best not until we're forced," Shikamaru said.

"Yeah, Itachi-sensei will go ballistic if we use it unsupervised," Choji added frowning. "Plus he'll be torn between keeping us in the exam or dragging us off to the hospital."

"So that means we've only really got today to find an Earth Scroll and get to the tower," Shikamaru sighed, regretting the move almost instantly as he tensed and grit his teeth in pain.

"So what's the plan?" Ino asked, scratching her head. "The longer we rest, the more chakra we regain, but the more our muscles are gonna protest and you and I are going to struggle just to walk, let alone hunt a group."

"What about if we set traps then?" Choji asked. "We can't be the only ones using the river, another team will come by for water or something."

And how do you expect us to trap them?" Shikamaru asked, "If they come at night, I can't do anything."

Ino looked to the sky, "We've got maybe four hours of light… wait. Maybe there is a way."

"Ino?" Choji cocked his head.

Shikamaru raised an expectant eyebrow. "Well? Don't leave us in suspense."

* * *

The plan was fairly simple. They set decoys up at camp, with a roaring fire just as night had fallen. The light would be enough to see their enemies and also attract them like fireflies. Hiding between the trees and rocks, Ino and Shikamaru laid in wait for a team to strike, while their decoys were tucked away in sleeping bags. They'd even left a decoy scroll poking out of Choji's pouch. If everyone thought they were weak cry-babies, then they should also make the effort to seem inept.

They waited a full two hours before a team came, just as Choji had risen to add more wood to the fire. Three Grass ninja, all creeping around and slowly spreading out, intending to flank the campsite.

Mimicking their movements, Ino and Shikamaru trailed after their targets. Crouching low, Ino quickly made her hand signs and activated her Mind Transfer. Turning swiftly in her new body, she caught her regular body and quickly pulled out the bunch of lobelias she had tucked under the plate of her Hitai-ate and quickly transferred them into the arm guard of the Grass ninja.

It was a male body, taller than her, armed with senbon needles and a tanto at his hip. And slightly more concerning, was that Ino could feel no injuries. Hopefully that meant they just hadn't gotten into battle yet, rather than simply being very good at fighting. Quickly she checked his pouches. No Earth Scroll.

Slinking back towards Choji, she saw one Grass ninja nearly at Choji's back, the other was circling the edge of the camp, their shadow not yet formed by the fire.

The one in camp pulled his senbon and pressed it against Choji's neck, his other hand coming up to hold Choji's head so the boy couldn't get away. "I'll be taking that scroll now, just stay there and I won't kill you or your friends – huh?"

"I could say the same to you," Choji replied, cool as a cucumber.

"Th-the other two are fakes! It's a trap!"

"Yeah, and you fell right into it," Shikamaru smirked, his Shadow Possession snapping onto the first ninja's. "Ino, have you handled the other two?"

"Abaki!" Ino turned her head to the Grass kunoichi, who had pulled back from camp to regroup with her team. "What do we do?" she hissed, watching as Shikamaru forced the Grass ninja into a neutral stance while Choji checked him for a scroll.

"We need to find that Ino person," Ino said, looking around, "They'll be trying to surprise us."

Behind her, she heard the thunk of a body hitting the floor. "Shit!" she growled, feigning concern for the now unconscious Grass ninja beside Choji and Shikamaru. The two then turned to the fire pit, taking thick pieces of fire wood and threw them into the darkness.

"Wh-what are they doing? Are they trying to hit us?" the Grass kunoichi asked.

"They're spreading the fire out to find us," Ino responded softly. It was part of her plan. If she didn't respond to Shikamaru's question, that meant she hadn't taken care of the other enemy ninja, so Choji and Shikamaru were to throw flaming firewood until it reflected the metal of Hitai-ate or weapons, allowing them to find the other ninja. "Urgh, forget the other one, we need to take these two out!" Ino ordered, hoping the girl would take initiative. "I'll take the dark haired one, you take the fat one." She pulled out the tanto from its sheath and ran, narrowly dodging one of the torches.

Going wide and charging Shikamaru, Ino was rewarded by the Grass kunoichi also running towards the camp. She framed the blow as a stab, making sure the purple lobelias were visible. Shikamaru dodged and nodded, seeing the flowers, marking that Ino had transferred her consciousness. To their left, Choji dodged the Grass kunoichi's blow and landed on the river behind him, giving the girl pause.

"Huh? H-how are you doing that?" she asked.

"You mean you can't?" Ino asked, walking towards the other kunoichi.

"What are you saying Abaki? Of course not! And what are you doing?! We're meant to be attacking!"

Ino shook her head, the other girl's attention completely on her, "I'm not Abaki, I'm Ino. Sorry for fooling you."

"No… ah! I… I can't move!" The girl's eyes were wide with panic.

Shikamaru raised a hand, also approaching slowly, the girl forcibly doing the same. "That'd be my fault. Shadow Possession. We're gonna knock you out and take your scroll now," he informed. "Ino, go get your body."

"Hai."

She returned to the Grass ninja huddled together by a large rock, unconscious. A little further away, Choji and Shikamaru grinned, an Earth Scroll in Choji's hand. Ino handed her body to Shikamaru. "Are you okay carrying me?" she asked. This was the only part of her plan she was worried about. Whilst in Abaki's body, he couldn't be harmed or knocked out, as the damage would also transfer to Ino, so they had decided Ino would wait with the enemy ninja as long as she could while Choji and Shikamaru headed for the tower with her body, her spirit catching up with them later.

"It'll be fine, we've five kilometres to cover before dawn, we should be rested enough, and the painkillers are doing their job," Shikamaru assured. "We should hurry though, or you'll run out of chakra before we've gotten a good head start."

Ino nodded and smiled as Choji gave her a thumbs up. "Alright, see you soon."

* * *

You know, I was always told you should try to avoid repeating the same words/descriptor in a short amount of words, but there's only so many different words to use instead of transfer. Ah well, Ino won't be using that technique for a little while so I may go read a thesaurus before then.


	14. Chapter 13: Surprise

Long chapter today as the following ones might be a little shorter than I've been doing lately. I like fight scenes, but generally there probably isn't going to be much difference in these ones to their canon counterparts. Well. One significant change, but we'll deal with that when we get there.

* * *

Itachi looked down at his wrist with a smile. The seals were glowing and chakra was being emitted from it at a large rate. He was being summoned, which meant his team had succeeded. And on the second night in the forest. The seal carried him off in a burst of smoke to the bottom level waiting room, a small square room with two staircases leading to the same upper floor entrance. As the smoke cleared, he smiled at the exhausted Genin before him.

"Good job you three."

The three looked completely lost, eyes wide with questions. Finally, Choji spoke up. "Wh-why were you summoned? Is the exam over?"

"This portion is yes. You've completed the second stage and once the deadline has passed, the details for the third stage will be explained," Itachi nodded, smile growing a little wider as his team sagged to the floor in relief. "I was summoned because that's how the second stage is set up, if you open a single scroll without the other, your team is knocked out. However, in this space, if you have both scrolls and open them, your Sensei is summoned to lead you through the tower. I've a room upstairs you can rest in. You all look like you need it."

"What I need is foooooood," Choji groaned, holding his stomach.

Ino moaned, "Yeah, food sounds nice. Do you have any, Sensei?"

Itachi chuckled. "I've some things upstairs, but before that, I was asked to tell you about this wall hanging," he said, pointing to the wall opposite the door the three had entered by.

"Huh? So… it's not just a clue about opening the scrolls?" Shikamaru asked.

"No. It's the motto of the Chuunin, written by the Hokage. 'If you lack heaven, seek wisdom, be prepared. If you lack earth, run in the fields, seek advantages.'," Itachi read. "Here, 'heaven' refers to the mind. And 'earth' to the body. Basically, it implies Chuunin need brawns and brains to continue their path. They can't be negligent. But if you have both heaven and earth, you can succeed."

"So that's why the next part reads 'With both heaven and earth, danger becomes safety'?" Ino asked.

Itachi nodded, "Pretty much. The idea is that if your mind and body are at peak, danger becomes less uncertain, you can plan a way through and use your strength to make it a reality."

"What about the last part?" asked Shikamaru "'These are the principles that guide…' something?"

"The dead space is generally the character for person," Itachi explained. "It's also often read 'These are the principles that guide Chuunin.' I've also known some ninja fill that blank in with their own names, to make it more of a personal message from Lord Hokage."

"The first test was to assess your intelligence gathering skills, as well as teamwork. Those are the base skills needed on any mission, for any level of ninja. Here, because Chuunin are allowed to go on missions without a Jonin leader, your survival and mission aptitude skills were tested," Itachi went on. "And while you've passed, it might be worth keeping that motto in mind. There's no guarantee that this team will your only one, which means your weaknesses won't always be compensated for by people that know you well, or even anyone at all," he warned, looking each member of his team in the eye, making sure they paid attention.

Walking over to the steps at the left side, Itachi made a beckoning motion with his hand. "Come on, let's get you lot upstairs, I'll see what I've got that isn't a food pill."

"Ino promised you'd get us barbecue pork," Choji informed him, causing Itachi to falter on one step.

"You did?" He turned to spot Ino nodding.

"Well, Choji was really unmotivated, and we all felt like shit," Ino started, a slight note of worry in her tone.

"I'm not angry," he quickly comforted, "But I'm also not allowed to leave the tower as it would interfere with the exams." Choji groaned and Itachi waited for the sound to fade before continuing, "It _is_ possible though, that I could sent a summon out for something. You three relax and I'll try bribe Kohaku to bring us food."

"You are the absolute _best_, Sensei!" Ino declared, Choji whooping just behind her.

Shikamaru only lit up when he saw the sofa in the room Itachi had claimed. "Yes. Soft thing. Give," he mumbled, collapsing face first into the cushions.

Itachi gave a wary laugh, "I'm not really allowed to move furniture, but if you want, you can go next door and rest on that sofa?" he offered to Choji and Ino. Ino shook her head and Choji just wandered forward to collapse against the sofa, his head bumping softly against Shikamaru's arm.

"Move your legs, Shika," Ino said, tapping Shikamaru's foot. Shikamaru bent them only to drop them on Ino once she was sat. Itachi watched on in bemusement as less than a minute later, all three had fallen asleep. Quietly, Itachi padded over to the storage chest in the corner of the room and pulled out two large blankets, carefully placing them over his Genin and left the room, the door clicking shut soundlessly behind him.

With the three rested and currently wolfing down ramen as though it was going out of fashion, something that concerned Itachi since he'd only ordered twelve bowls, they started regaling Itachi on all that had happened during the last several days.

"And then, when we were avoiding Neji, we realised this Sound team were going after Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura," Choji was saying around mouthfuls of noodles, "They weren't even trying to pass, they wanted to kill Sasuke, who was knocked out 'cause of this Orochimaru guy-."

"Orochimaru?" Itachi cut in, frowning. "You met Orochimaru?"

"No, he was already gone when we got there," Choji said.

Shikamaru added, "Sakura seemed to think the Sound group knew about him though, because she asked them who he was and why he did something to Sasuke."

Itachi frowned thoughtfully for a long moment, looking up only when he realised his students hadn't continued.

"Sensei… did… we do something wrong?" Ino asked slowly, her gaze slowly meeting Itachi's.

"No? Why would you think that?" Itachi asked.

"Because we left Naruto's team behind," Shikamaru said. "Even though Sasuke had been attacked and Sakura and Lee nearly got killed."

Itachi arched an eyebrow, "Lee was there?"

"Yeah, I was getting to that part," Choji said softly. "Lee found Sakura before us and tried to help, but got beat up by the Sound ninja."

Ah, this was probably the first time they had left someone behind. Where in Bakugakure, they ignored Itachi's command and returned, here, they had taken the mission as priority after discovering another team.

"We didn't just leave them completely," Choji added hurriedly. "We saw Lee and Sakura getting beaten up by these three Sound ninja. And eventually we joined the fight too, and had the upper hand, But the Sound guys, they had weird jutsu that didn't seem like jutsu."

"Two of them had some kind of augmentation," continued Shikamaru. "We thought they would use sound-based jutsu, but one was firing air out of some device dug into his hand and the other had this… this _thing_ mounted onto his arm."

"Yeah, it looked super heavy and blasted out sonic waves," Ino informed, "It burst mine and Lee's eardrums."

Itachi turned to her, "Are you alright?"

Ino shrugged a shoulder. "I think so, mostly just woozy."

"What about Orochimaru?"

"We didn't see him, but Sakura claimed he did something to Sasuke," Shikamaru relayed.

"I believe her," said Ino, her gaze falling into her lap. "Sasuke's chakra… something wasn't right about it. It… it was dark. And he went from being unconscious under a tree to completely berserk in less than a few seconds."

Itachi frowned, "Have you felt his chakra before now?"

Ino hunched her shoulders, "No, but I'm sure it can't have always been like that."

"He was acting really weird," Choji agreed. "And he had these weird marks on his arm. I didn't get a good look, but they weren't there before he got up and they were gone again once the Sound ninja gave up."

Strange marks could be anything, especially in the Forest of Death. Setting that aside for now, Itachi focused on the other anomaly. "So if they were winning, why did the Sound ninja retreat?"

"Well, Ino knocked the Sound girl out when we stepped in, and Sasuke broke another guy's arms. I guess the final guy didn't think he could take Sasuke on one-on-one?" Shikamaru suggested. "He also said they had to go find something out, which is weird, because he also claimed they had only been told to kill Sasuke."

Itachi frowned. If Orochimaru was linked to Otogakure, it was probable he was high ranking individual, or even the leader of the village. The augmentations Shikamaru described matched with Orochimaru's penchant for inhumane experimentation, but also required an amount of authority to pull off without information leaking to neighbouring nations.

"Who is this Orochimaru guy?" asked Ino, "And why would he attack Sasuke?"

"He's a missing nin who used to train under Lord Third," Itachi revealed, not sure how much regarding Orochimaru he could actually tell his team. "He shouldn't have been in the forest though. At this point, only the invigilators may enter the forest, all other ninja are either in the village, or Jonin Sensei that are on standby here, in this tower. So, because of that, I'll need to report what you've told me to Anko."

Choji made to rise, "Shouldn't we go with you?"

"No, it's fine," Itachi replied, raising a hand to stop Choji. "I don't know what decision will be made, so for now, I'd like you three to rest up. They could yet continue with the exams to save face with the other villages and hide Orochimaru's intervening, so you'll need to rest your injuries and regain your stamina."

"But what if he attacks someone else?" Choji asked, his eyebrows knitting together.

Itachi smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, the examiners will increase security and actively be keeping an eye out for Orochimaru, so I'm sure it won't happen again." He got up and made to turn to the door. "I'm going to go tell them now, so I'll be gone a while, stay here and rest. Don't go making trouble."

Shikamaru gave him a look somewhere between a frown and a pout. "What kind of trouble could we get into?"

"You aren't the first team finished, and they'll all be in different conditions, mentally and physically. They might seek to harm you during this respite as no one has explicitly stated they can't," Itachi warned. He saw the three pale slightly and take a collective gulp before heading out.

Rising through the levels of the tower, Itachi made his way up to the room Anko had claimed as her base of operations, and knocked politely as though he didn't have rather important information about a dangerous criminal assaulting twelve year-olds.

"What is it?" Anko's voice snapped.

Letting himself in, Itachi looked around the room, observing Izumo and Kotetsu behind the sofa Anko was lying on and the Hokage stood to one side, looking at him curiously.

"Uchiha Itachi, what a surprise." The Hokage smiled at him warmly.

"Perhaps not so surprising," Itachi responded. "Would I be right in assuming you are here because Orochimaru was spotted in the Forest of Death, Lord Hokage?"

Izumo and Kotetsu stiffened, while a haggard Anko pulled herself up to sitting using the back of the sofa. "How do you know about that?" she demanded.

"Was the Uchiha he confronted you?" Izumo wondered.

"No, Sasuke," Itachi replied flatly. "My team came across them after the fact and the six plus Rock Lee were attacked by the Sound ninja squad," he explained. "During the battle, Haruno Sakura asked the Sound ninja who Orochimaru was and what he had done to Sasuke. The three were also talked with eliminating Sasuke and had to retreat 'to check something' following Sasuke appearing to confront the trio covered in strange dark marks. That would make an empirical link between Orochimaru and Otogakure would it not?"

Kotetsu's mouth hung open. Anko gritted her teeth and put her other hand to the junction between her neck and shoulder, where Itachi remembered Kakashi had mentioned a mark from Orochimaru lay.

"Have you told anyone else?" Hiruzen asked.

"No, and I've made sure my team stay in their room while I am here."

The Hokage turned to Izumo, "Do we know if Sasuke's team has completed the exam?"

"At this moment, they have not, Lord Hokage."

Hiruzen cupped his chin in thought, humming softly.

"Did the Sound ninja say anything else?" Anko asked.

Itachi shook his head, "Not as far as my team reported, but they are concerned that the ninja from Sound weren't using ninjutsu, rather, they seem to have had their bodies fitted with ninja-like equipment."

"We surveyed them entering the tower a few hours ago," Kotetsu supplied helpfully. "Their Sensei met them and they should be in the tower now."

Hiruzen nodded, "Keep an eye on them, but do not actively increase surveillance. This is a delicate time." Kotetsu nodded and Hiruzen turned to Itachi. "What do you know of Orochimaru's Curse Mark?"

"Nothing, Lord Hokage," Itachi admitted, "but I assume it is connected to the experiments Orochimaru was found to have been doing before he left the village?"

"That would be correct. No one really knows the process, but a mark is left on the skin. The invading chakra then battles with the owner and there is a one in eight chance of living."

Itachi's eyes widened slightly in shock. Sasuke could have died just from the technique. But then, if his team saw him awake… "So, do we then assume Sasuke has assimilated to the jutsu? Based on my team encountering them after the fact?"

"Pretty much," Anko shrugged, "I was the only one that survived when he tried it in Konoha, but there's no way to know one way or the other if the death-rate has gotten better or worse in the ten-odd years he's been gone. What do you care anyway?" she added, raising an eyebrow, "I thought you hated all of your family."

"It would be an inconvenience if he died," Itachi said with a shrug. "Clan politics are a nightmare most of the time, Sasuke's death would exacerbate that, making the entire bunch even more impossible to work with."

"That's really horrid," Izumo frowned.

Itachi shrugged, "I really don't care."

Hiruzen raised a hand to silence the room. "Itachi, go warn Kakashi and have him set up an area where he can apply a seal to Sasuke's Curse Mark, if those marks he was covered in are related to it, then it needs to be locked from effecting his chakra."

Itachi bowed his head, "At once, Lord Hokage."

* * *

He found Kakashi playing cards with Gai, neither man's team having completed the task yet it seemed. "Kakashi, I need you," Itachi said by way of greeting, Gai's cheeks flushed and Kakashi's visible eye twitched.

"I'm going to check to see my team have arrived," Gai excused standing and hurrying to get past Itachi and out of the room.

"Gai, wait! It's not like that!" Kakashi tried, whirling to Itachi as he saw Gai's green and orange blur disappear around the corner. "Why did you do that? I've only just sorted out the _last_ time," he frowned, glaring at Itachi as he closed the door.

"It's Orochimaru, he targeted Sasuke in the Forest."

"What?! Why didn't you lead with that?" Kakashi demanded, getting to his feet. "And how do you know?"

"My team have arrived, they were telling me about the exam and how they came across your team after Orochimaru had finished with them." Itachi explained, "I've already told Lord Hokage, he wants you to set up a room to seal Sasuke's Curse Mark."

"Curse Mark?"

Telling Kakashi what he had gleaned from both conversations, Itachi raised his arms and shrugged, "And that's all I know. How's your fuuinjutsu?"

"Good enough for this, but it will take me a while," Kakashi hummed. He sighed and headed for the door. "I'll get on with that then while those three take their sweet time getting here. I'm assuming the exams haven't been called off?"

"It doesn't look like it, but I suppose that it's better to leave them as is and play Orochimaru's game for a little while, then cut him off before he reaches his main goal."

"Ours is not to reason why," Kakashi agreed with a shrug, opening the door and gesturing Itachi ahead of him. As Itachi made his way back to his team, he had the distinct feeling that while the Hokage moved quietly, so as to be subtle, that perhaps it was not always the best course to take.

* * *

Two days later the second test was over, and only seven teams including his own had passed. Heeding the call sent through the tower's comms system, Itachi and Team 10 joined the other passing teams and Sensei along with the exam proctors and Sandaime Hokage in the tower's arena.

The arena was a large area with tiled stone flooring, a slightly raised platform for referees to watch from a safe but closer distance than the observation platforms several metres from the ground on either wall, with railings to stop over-eager watchers from tumbling into battles. Behind the raised platform were two stone arms forming the ram sign, the elbow sections sunken into the wall. The wall itself was a series of screens and electronics hidden behind wooden panelling. Before the stone arms stood the seven Jonin Sensei and before them, the Hokage. Framing the Hokage on either side were the exam invigilators, including Anko and Ibiki. All of them faced the Chuunin hopefuls who were lined up in their teams.

"First off, congratulations on passing the second test!" announced Anko, a gleam in her eye as she looked over the exhausted Genin. The ones who had finished earlier looked in better condition, but most had at least a couple of injuries. All except the Sand team, who were all without obvious injury and Gaara, who was without even a scuff or dirt on his clothes.

"Ah, so your team made it," Gai said lowly to Kakashi. "Maybe they were lucky. But as long as my team is around, this will be as far as they go. From now on, it's about real ability. Their youth may be strong, but they are also sour times, eh, Kakashi?"

"Hmm? Sorry, were you saying something?" Kakashi replied, turning to Gai cluelessly. Gai clenched his hand, mumbling something about Kakashi acting cool and how they would be rivals eternally.

"Does he ever shut up?" Itachi breathed.

"Shh!" hissed the Leaf Sensei next to him. Considering the only other Leaf team here was a bunch of serial repeaters, Itachi hadn't bothered to learn the Sensei's name.

"Lord Hokage will explain the details of the third exam. Please listen carefully," Anko declared before turning to Hiruzen and bowing her head. He returned the gesture before acknowledging the Genin before him.

"There is something I'd like you to know before I explain the third test. As some of you may be aware, this is more than just an exam, and there is a reason it is open to ninja from all allied countries and moves location regularly. 'To promote friendship among the countries', 'to promote Shinobi to a new level'. These are ideas for the general public, but not the true reason this exam was formed."

"This exam is a replacement for war. If you go back in time," Hiruzen continued, ignoring the confused expressions among the Genin and the small amount of muttering amongst them. "Not all that long ago, the countries taking part in this exam were at war. We were enemies fighting over who had the right to rule. Even now, there isn't really an answer, and so, the Chuunin exams serve a surveillance purpose, allowing small groups of weak foreign into the various allied nations to assess their military strength."

"Seriously? That sounds like a total pain in the ass," Naruto commented loudly. "I thought this exam was for ninja to get promoted to Chuunin, what's the point in entering if you don't want to do that?"

"That is one aspect," agreed Hiruzen. "This exam is for other ninja to assess our strength, what _our_ Genin are capable of, but also to display their own abilities, showing their strength, their commitment to their nation and to promote their village."

"Promote their village?" wondered Ino.

"The third exam, unlike the last two, is public. You will have an audience of influential individuals watching you as well as other Jonin level ninja or above who might be looking for an apprentice," Hiruzen explained. "But also, there will be individuals from many countries in attendance that hire Shinobi for work and make up a significant portion of high-paying clientele. _They_ come to see the Chuunin exams so that they have an idea of the different abilities each country has to offer, as well as making note which countries made the cut. For example, even though we had ninja from Iwa and Ame as well as others, the only villages represented before me are Konoha, Oto and Suna. This means clients may offer less work to countries that don't make it to the third exam."

"So… they judge the strength of the village based on who's there?" asked Kiba.

Hiuzen nodded, "That would be correct. They also take into account how well you all perform in your matches throughout the final exam."

"Matches?" Choji startled.

Sakura grinned, "We're at the last exam!"

"Yes, the third exam is styled like a tournament. The matches are in blocks and the loser is eliminated while the victor proceeds to the next stage, however," Hiruzen added grimly, "I am afraid you are not in fact at the last exam yet."

"What? Why?" barked Naruto.

"Yes, please explain," added Lee.

Hiruzen opened his mouth to reply, but caught sight of Shikamaru's raised hand, halting the Sandaime's answer. "What is it, young man?"

"Before dealing with that, I wanted to have something clarified," Shikamaru began. "In the first exam, we were forbidden from fighting. In the second, we were permitted to kill, yet both heads of exam stressed the concept of risking life. Why is that?"

"Put simply," Hiruzen began, "The strength of the country is the strength of the village. The strength of the village is the strength of its Shinobi. And the strength of Shinobi can only truly be brought out through life-risking battles." The tension and underlying confusion among some of the Genin was palpable. Quietly, Itachi felt any of the ones who still couldn't get it wouldn't be receiving promotion anytime soon.

"In war, it is not necessarily your choice to risk your life, but it is a necessity to put lives on the line to win such a battle. The difference between Genin and Chuunin is being aware of that chance and agreeing to the risk. That is why this exam is often the most dangerous any team has come across in their careers up to this point." Hiruzen paused to take a draught of his pipe. "That is why this test has meaning, because you each signed up and accepted the risk each time. You accepted the risk of the first exam's tenth question. You accepted the second test's danger and rules by signing the waiver."

"I really don't care what any of this means," spoke up Gaara, his voice deep and grated like sand grains shifting against each other. "Just hurry up and tell us what the rules of the next death-battles are."

Hiruzen cleared his throat, "Yes, about that. As I said before, you are not yet at the last exam." A series of coughs sounded from the door to the arena, drawing the attention of the gathered ninja.

"My apologies for interrupting, Lord Hokage," the man said around another cough. He approached the gathering and knelt before the Sandaime, "As the referee for this next session, would you permit me to explain?"

While Itachi tried to work out if the ninja was late of if the entrance had been devised to allow Hiruzen to excuse himself to other business, the man turned to the Genin to introduce himself. "Hello, everyone. I am Gekko Hayate." Coughing, Hayate continued, "I'm sorry to say, but before we can continue, I need you all to participate in a preliminary exam so we can decide who will go on to the third exam."

Hayate was a ninja Itachi knew to specialise in kenjutsu and the ninja techniques based around swords, and while he didn't interact with the man often, he couldn't say he'd ever seen Hayate look so haggard. His cheeks were sunken and he had deep bags under his eyes to accompany the persistent coughing. His condition didn't seem to impede his movement though from what Itachi could see, so it was entirely possible the man was just still recovering from being on a long mission.

"What the hell?!" shouted Kiba, "Why do we have to do preliminaries?"

"Why aren't we all allowed to move forward?" asked Sakura softly.

"Uhmm, well basically the first two tests have had a bigger success rate than normal. Maybe they were too easy, maybe you guys are actually just that good, but either way, we can't have all of you at the next exam. It would take all day and probably bore some of the spectators. So in accordance with the Chuunin exam rules, because we have more than a certain number of you, we have to reduce the numbers."

"Reduce them?" repeated Naruto. "Down to what?"

"At least half," replied Hayate. "And to be frank, we're sort on time to make the third exam's start, so we'll be starting the preliminaries immediately. If any of you aren't feeling up to it, this is your opportunity to pull out." Hayate coughed again, which he probably used as an excuse not to reply to Kiba who seemed offended by the timing.

"What? Right now? But some of us have barely had any rest!"

"Should have gotten here earlier then," Itachi mumbled, watching as a boy with white hair raised his hand.

"In that case, I'm quitting."

Naruto startled, "Eh? Kabuto, why?"

"I'm pretty exhausted from the trip here, and I'm injured and honestly my chakra reserves are pretty low right now," the boy said, sounding rather like he was whining. Itachi frowned in distaste, his Sharingan flickering. The kid didn't look as tired as some of the other ninja and as the Sharingan picked up the chakra those in front of him were giving off, Itachi noticed an abnormality. Raising one hand to rub his eye, Itachi closed the other eye and carefully activated his Sharingan once more. Not only were Kabuto's chakra levels fine, he had more than most of the Genin gathered. Another strange chakra was Gaara, who seemed to radiate chakra not unlike Naruto. What could that mean?

"You're Yakushi Kabuto correct? You may leave," Hayate instructed, checking a small booklet of papers he had stored in his back pouch. "Those of you on his team may stay as the next phase is all one-on-one battles. Does anyone else wish to retire?"

Anko looked at her own information booklet as a Chuunin invigilator lead Kabuto out of the room. "I've seen him before," she mumbled. "Didn't he quit during the final test last year too? What is he trying to accomplish? Here. Yakushi Kabuto. He's failed six times straight."

Hiruzen perked up. "That's an odd record. Has he dropped out himself each time?"

"Looks like," she replied, barely above a whisper.

A few moments passed where members of teams looked each other over and spoke softly amongst themselves. Shikamaru seemed to be leading a small discussion in his team and Itachi purposely didn't let his gaze drift that way, not wanting to impact their decision. Instead, he looked with curiosity to Sasuke, who was gripping the junction between his neck and shoulder.

"Same as Anko," Kakashi muttered, noticing the movement too.

"Do you think he'll quit?" Itachi asked softly.

"I think Sakura will try to make him," Kakashi responded. Sure enough, Sasuke turned to his pink haired teammate who seemed to try every trick in the book to sway him, including tearing up. Her hand began to rise only to be grabbed and pulled down by Sasuke.

"I haven't got all day," Hayate drawled, looking at the two. "You with the pink hair. Are you quitting?"

"Ah, no, but-."

"Great, then everyone up to the observation stands," Hayate cut her off. "We'll start the match selection process."

Sakura whirled back to Sasuke growling, "Why are you so stubborn?! I don't want to see you hurting like this. To me-."

"It doesn't concern you," Sasuke shot back, his voice like acid. "Stay out of my business." Shoving past her, Sasuke headed for the stairs with the other Genin and their Sensei.

"Hey, bastard! Stop acting high and mighty all the time!" Naruto called after him.

Sasuke turned and gave Naruto a lazy smile. "Naruto. You're someone I also want to fight."

Naruto stopped, seemingly stunned with awe. Itachi clapped him lightly on the back. "Come on, shrimp, up you go," he said with a smile. Turning to him, Naruto grinned.

"Itachi! Man, I wish you could have seen how cool I was in the forest!" he boasted, moving towards the steps at the end of the room after another poke from Itachi. "I beat up a giant snake!"

"Did you now? Damn, I've just been sat around ordering Ichiraku ramen."

Naruto whirled around and Itachi grabbed the back of his jacket, lifting Naruto up to keep them moving. "What?! Did you save me any? Please please please say yes!"

"Of course not, days old ramen is disgusting," Itachi replied. "But I was saying to Shikamaru, Ino and Choji earlier that I'd treat them to a meal. If you make it to the third exam, you can join us," he offered.

"Really! Gah, Itachi, you're the best!" Naruto said, thrusting his limbs out and wrapping them around Itachi in a hug.

"You are such a child," Sakura sighed. "Sorry about that, Itachi-sensei."

"Get off of him, Naruto. He doesn't deserve anyone's affection," Sasuke spat, glaring at Itachi. The boy was still clutching at his neck and poorly hid his grimace of pain as he sneered at Itachi.

"Oh? Not dead yet, snot rag?" Itachi asked in mock concern, looking at Sasuke boredly. "Shame. I look forward to watching you get your ass handed to you."

Naruto scoffed and flopped back dramatically, hanging off of Itachi like a baby monkey.

"N-Naruto," a soft voice spoke up. Turning, Itachi found the Hyuuga heiress looking a little scandalised by Naruto's actions. Naruto himself just continued to dangle from Itachi's body, raising his head to look at Hinata, humming to show he was listening.

"What's up, Hinata?" The girl went bright red, unable to say anything more while Naruto looked on perplexed.

"Naruto," sighed Kakashi from behind Hinata. "Get off of Itachi-sensei. You heard the Hokage, we're here to represent our village, not make them think we're a bunch of zoo animals and childen."

Naruto huffed but released Itachi, dropping down to the floor. "So how does this match thing work?"

From the arena below, Hayate raised his voice. "These matches will be randomly determined. There are no rules. The fight continues until one of you is dies or admits defeat. So, uh, if you don't want to die, admit your defeat quickly," he said, coughing again. "But as referee, um, I can also decide when a match is over. So I'll probably step in when there's an obvious winner. Because dealing with lots of unnecessary corpses is really draining," he added. Taking a moment to cough into his hand, Anko took over.

"The object that determines the battles is this." She gestured behind her to the wall of hidden screens, one of which had the panel slowly open after a quick order on Anko's comms.

Now recovered, Hayate cleared his throat. "Let's not waste any more time and determine the first battle."

The screen flickered into life and flashed with the names off all twenty participants for several seconds before settling on two names.

_Uchiha Sasuke vs Akado Yoroi_


	15. Chapter 14: The Preliminaries Begin

So... this chapter was a drag. I got about 800 words in, remembered I hate Sasuke and am bored to death by him and went off to write a 3000 word Ino vs Sakura fight instead. As it happens, I have the last 3 preliminary fights written up because I was ignoring Sasuke's. You also might notice the order isn't entirely how it used to be. There's no massive reason for that other than wanting to have Ino fight Sakura _after_ Gaara has beaten Lee within an inch of his life.

At this moment, 4 fights remain to be written, so next chapter ought to be slightly longer to compensate for the slight mess this one is. I'll get on that tonight/tomorrow though, either way the next two updates should be fairly close together since I'm half done.

* * *

"Uchiha Sasuke! Akado Yoroi! Please come down to me," Hayate said.

Itachi leant on the rail beside Kakashi after the older Jonin had finished speaking to Sasuke, the younger Uchiha going down to the arena floor. "I assume because Sasuke didn't retire at this stage, this match was at least partially set up so his mark can be sealed faster?"

"That would be my guess," Kakashi replied lowly. "The Hokage has ordered monitoring on Kabuto."

"Good. He wasn't as out of it as he was pretending. His chakra was just fine," Itachi huffed, watching Sasuke and Yoroi meet before Hayate. "It's unlikely he's acting alone."

"If he is, he'll be an easy catch. If he isn't, Yoroi won't act here, there are too many eyes." After a moment, Kakashi turned his head. "That Sound Sensei. Did something about him seem off to you?"

"You mean other than the fact he smells a little like ash now?" Itachi asked, raising an eyebrow. Almost as though he'd been in contact with fire style ninjutsu. "I was a little distracted by other things." He glanced over to Yashagorou. "I'll keep my eye on him anyway. My Sharingan is a little easier to disguise than yours."

"Don't get caught. We don't need an international incident," Kakashi warned, looking back to the match as Hayate called for it to start, jumping backward out of the way.

"Hai hai, Danchou," Itachi breathed, rolling his eyes. Kakashi narrowed his gaze disapprovingly at the title and edge of sarcasm in Itachi's tone, but didn't comment.

"Sensei." Itachi shifted to see Ino frowning. "Sasuke… something's wrong with him."

"An injury probably," Itachi said gently, smiling reassuringly. "Once he's done here, he'll probably be taken to the medical bay."

"So… we only have to fight once?" Choji asked.

Itachi nodded. "Ten is fine for the final exams. Eight would be preferred, and it's still possible some people will choose to retire."

"Yoroi was on Kabuto's team. Any idea what he can do?" Shikamaru asked, looking around the other Leaf ninja.

"No. I've only spoken to Kabuto," Ino admitted.

"Probably some lame ability," Naruto assured, "Sasuke'll have him beat, you guys just watch!"

"He looks kinda creepy," Choji added. "Are those meant to be glasses?"

Itachi shrugged and ran his hand through his bangs. He could just about see Yashagorou with the Oto team, relaxed and smiling. Did he know something about Yoroi? And if he did, why would a Sound ninja know a Leaf Genin? "Maybe I'm overthinking it and he just knows the Uchiha name?" Itachi mumbled to himself. The Uchiha clan went back to the founding of Konohagakure, and they had secret bases all over Hi no Kuni, it was entirely possible Yashagorou was just excited to see an Uchiha fight.

"Sasuke's not activated his Sharingan," Sakura pointed out, watching Sasuke pull out a kunai to defend himself from Yoroi's shuriken, even managing to reflect them back.

"Forget the Sharingan," Naruto marvelled, "Look how thick that chakra is around Yoroi's hand! It's like Kaka-sensei's Raikiri!"

"It's not at all like that," Kakashi sighed sagging.

Ino frowned as Sasuke flinched from the motion of swinging his kunai, overbalancing and tumbling onto the floor. "He's hurt his shoulder?"

Itachi glanced over in time to see Sasuke roll away just before Yoroi's chakra coated hand sunk into the ground exactly where Sasuke's chest would have been. He growled softly and shook his head watching Sasuke react by pulling Yoroi into a hold. "You idiot, he wants to kill you, his hand was coated in enough chakra to bury into the ground and you want to put that hand next to your face?"

"Yeah! Get him, Sasuke!" cheered Naruto

Yoroi twisted his hand in Sasuke's grip to grab at the Uchiha's shirt. "What's he trying to do?" Ino muttered, watching Yoroi's hand light up with chakra again. "Ah! Sasuke let go!"

"Not by his own volition from the look of it," Kakashi commented. Yoroi took advantage of Sasuke's confusion and after wrenching his hand back, smashed it into Sasuke's stomach so the Uchiha was forced to release his legs too.

Sasuke realised what was going on too late, sitting up into Yoroi's reaching hand. Yoroi's chakra flared again. "Haaa, you," Sasuke tried to remove Yoroi's hand, only for his grip to go lax, arms flopping to the floor. "M-my chakraaaaahhh!"

Shikamaru winced at Sasuke's screams. "The hell is going on? Is chakra being absorbed or something?"

"Exactly that," Itachi nodded. "Chakra is made up of spiritual and physical energy, that's why performing jutsu eats at your stamina. And also why Sasuke is struggling to move." Even if he could have activated the Sharingan before, there was no way Sasuke had the chakra levels to feed his kekkei genkai now. "This will be a purely physical fight on Sasuke's end. He can't afford to use ninjutsu here."

"That's a terrible match up," Shikamaru realised. "Every time they come into contact with each other, Sasuke risks losing more chakra!"

"Exactly." Itachi crossed his arms, his attention drifting to Yashagorou again. The man seemed to be delighting in the battle before him. Itachi's eyes narrowed. The guy was completely suspicious. Thinking back on it, Itachi was fairly certain Kabuto had been looking at Yashagorou rather than his own Sensei when he'd retired.

"Ha! Yes, Sasuke! Go!" cheered Naruto, Sasuke having kicked Yoroi away again. "Come on, Teme, you can't fight me if you don't beat this loser!"

Sasuke appeared to find some resolve at that point, twisting to meet Yoroi's charge with a kick that had the Konoha Jonin startling as Yoroi was sent flying into the air. "That's Gai's move," Kakashi said, his eyes wide in surprise.

"He must have copied me back at the first exam. Is that the power of the Sharingan?" Lee asked Gai.

"Those eyes can copy any move in an instant, but his body hasn't trained like yours. He won't have the strength of body to perform the Lotus technique fully," Gai explained.

Shikamaru turned to Itachi. "Is that true?"

"Yes, as I told you before the Sharingan has its faults," Itachi nodded. "Especially when you haven't mastered it. Their eyes are able to perceive things faster than they can react, so sprains and breaks from trying to catch up with their eyes are frequent injuries for Uchiha mastering the Sharingan. As are injuries from recreating moves they haven't trained to use."

"So, Sasuke could be making things worse?" Choji assumed, watching Sasuke leap into the air after Yoroi.

"Mhmm. But he needs to do this or Yoroi will kill him."

"What?!" Ino span to stare at him.

"Chakra is a mixture of spiritual and physical energy," Itachi repeated calmly. "If you drain enough of it, it can eat into your life-force."

"H-how can you sound so okay with that?" Sakura balked. "He's your brother isn't he?"

Itachi quirked an eyebrow. "It's a fact that if you force your chakra beyond its limit your life comes under threat. Why should I be angry about that?"

"Do you even care if he dies!?" Sakura shouted, her fists clenched at her sides. Itachi looked away from the pinkette to Sasuke wordlessly.

The boy was gritting his teeth and Itachi could just make out the glow of the Curse Mark under Sasuke's collar. "Kakashi, the mark."

"I see it." It snaked over Sasuke's skin, seeming to spiral out of control. The two Jonin watched as Sasuke went tense, coughing a small amount of blood as the stress his body was already under increased beyond capacity.

"Y-you knew about the mark?" Sakura whispered, looking between Kakashi and Itachi. "S-step in and stop the match!"

"I did say I'd stop it if the mark went out of control," Kakashi agreed, though he did not move, presumably trying to find a safe angle of approach before inserting himself into the dangers of Yoroi's jutsu and the Curse Mark.

Choosing to believe his brother was bigger than this, Itachi turned his attention back to Yashagorou, smiling when the Sound Sensei went from grinning like a child in a candy shop to scandalized.

"It… it's receding?" he heard Kakashi mutter in shock.

"From here, it's all original," Sasuke said from above, twisting to kick Yoroi in the air, his blow blocked by Yoroi's arm. Punching Yoroi in the face to stun him, Sasuke followed up with a drop kick as the two fell back towards the ground, adding to the impact as Yoroi crashed into the ground back first, while Sasuke cushioned his own landing with Yoroi's body.

Struggling for long moments, Sasuke slowly sat up while Hayate checked on Yoroi. Itachi wasn't concerned about that though. He was unnerved by the manic grin once more on Yashagorou's face. He was pleased that Sasuke had won? Or that the Curse Mark had activated and been pushed back by Sasuke's will? What on earth did this man want?

"I'm stopping the fight here! Uchiha Sasuke is the winner!" declared Hayate. Naruto and Sakura cheered, while Kakashi jumped down and lead Sasuke out the arena entrance.

"Where are they going?" asked Naruto.

"Medical bay I imagine. Look, those ninja medics are coming with a stretcher for Yoroi," Itachi noted, pointing out the two ninja in beige uniforms moving towards the two fighters. "He'll be fine, probably."

"Itachi-sensei," Sakura said slowly. "You never answered my question."

Itachi narrowed his eyes at Sakura. Below them, Hayate called for the next participants, Misumi Tsurugi and Kankuro. Looking around to identify the fighters, Itachi noticed Yashagorou wasn't by his team anymore. That could only mean that he cared less about their progress and more about Sasuke. As he ignored the calls from the Konoha Genin, he caught the Hokage's eye. Sharingan bled into life allowing Itachi to make out his order 'Follow the Sound Sensei. Battle is not permitted.' That didn't prevent Itachi from engaging though, a distinction that could be very important.

"Since none of you are fighting this match, I'm going to go to the bathroom," he said ignoring the question again. "Shikamaru, you're in charge. That goes for Kakashi's team too; keep them in line."

"Urgh, Sensei, that's such a drag!"

He walked away anyway, raising a hand in farewell. None of the other adults commented and so he left quietly after that slipping along the hallways in search of the room Kakashi had set up as that was probably Yashagorou's goal, suppressing his chakra as he went. Rather than a room, Kakashi had opted for a pokey alcove in the tower's lowest area. It was an unused area due to the many pillars that kept the tower standing, making it generally unusable for anything beyond maintenance, and therefore perfect for an area you didn't want to be disturbed in.

In the centre of two rings of kunai and carefully written seals sat Sasuke, whom Itachi found his way toward by the screams of pain his brother let out as Kakashi's foreign chakra invaded his own to seal the Curse Mark.

"The next time the Curse tries to become active," Kakashi explained to a barely conscious Sasuke, "this seal should contain the power, but it's entirely dependent on your strength of will. I am not here to fix your problems, if you don't fight it, the Curse Mark will run wild." Kakashi sighed, watching Sasuke pitch forward, passing out. "I hope you heard that, I don't really want to repeat it. Anyway, let's get you up to the medical floor."

"That's quite an impressive fuuinjutsu," a voice drawled from a set of pillars to the west of Itachi. "You've grown, Kakashi."

Kakashi turned to the voice, stilling as he recognised the speaker, "You're… Orochimaru!"

"Long time no see, Kakashi," Orochimaru grinned, the same face Itachi remembered from almost ten years ago smiling at Kakashi. He hadn't even gained a wrinkle yet Orochimaru by all accounts was around fifty years old now. Unlike back then though, Orochimaru was wearing the Jonin outfit Yashagorou had been wearing, meaning they were likely one in the same. Deciding not to act yet, Itachi kept his presence hidden behind a pillar. "I'm not here to see you though, Kakashi," Orochimaru continued, "So please move away from that boy."

Kakashi remained firmly between the Sannin and Sasuke. "What do you want with him?"

"The thing you already have, though unlike you, I desire the strong, Sharingan attuned body to match," Orochimaru leered.

"Why?"

"The newly formed Otogakure is _my_ village. Don't you think we ought to have some prestige?" asked Orochimaru, raising his hands in a shrug. "If I take the Uchiha and the Sharingan, it would significantly weaken Konoha. And then you'll have to do business with my village just to stay afloat. Konohagakure would bend the knee to me."

"That's a lot of hypotheticals," Kakashi challenged.

Orochimaru smiled, "Perhaps, but I have a lot of pawns willing to help. Even if some of them think that they are more valuable pieces."

"And you think Sasuke would go willingly?"

"He's nothing compared to his brother, something he'll find out all too soon," Orochimaru explained. "And when he begins to doubt if he has the strength to lead the Uchiha, I'll be there offering power beyond his wildest imaginings. Of course, I could just take him now, that would be so much easier," Orochimaru mused, starting towards Kakashi.

"Keep. Back," Kakashi threatened, quickly weaving signs and charging his Raikiri. In the face of the powerful jutsu, Orochimaru began to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Kakashi demanded.

Orochimaru reached up and shifted the hair covering his Sound hitai-ate out of his face. "That you honestly think you can stop me. You're good Kakashi, but I've grown since leaving the village too." To aid his words, Orochimaru released his killing intent, the energy stifling. Kakashi hesitated just long enough for Orochimaru to act, charging forward, his hand erupting in a burst of snakes.

The snakes halted inches from Kakashi's throat and both men looked to Orochimaru's cheek that had begun to bleed sluggishly. Looking behind him, Orochimaru stiffened seeing a kunai imbedded in the pillar.

"That's enough, Yashagorou-sensei," Itachi called out, no longer willing to stay quiet. He approached the group, Sharingan active and killing intent rolling off of him waves, hand still extended from throwing the kunai.

"Ah, Itachi. How nice of you to join us," Orochimaru purred, a bead of sweat rolling down his face.

"Cut the crap," Itachi bit. "I'll only say this once; leave and go back to the preliminary exams. You're here as a guest, if you make trouble you'll be made to leave."

"Oh? And will you make me leave, Itachi?" Orochimaru asked while making the altogether stupid decision to look at Itachi's eyes.

Now caught in Itachi's genjutsu; the Uchiha created a large iron nail, driving it into Orochimaru's back before speaking, watching the Sannin grunt in pain. "I will if I have to. Don't make this any harder than it has to be." Ninja wire created from nowhere caught Orochimaru's wrist, preventing the older ninja from raising his hand. The wire then began to glow with heat, stopping the man a second time from making the ram seal. "Am I clear, Orochimaru?"

"Tsk. Crystal," Orochimaru grit out. After a moment, Orochimaru returned the snakes from his other hand and broke the genjutsu, his breathing yet to even out from the mental strain. And they both knew he'd only escaped the illusions because Itachi had allowed it. "Sasuke will have a rude awakening when he finally realises his power is completely eclipsed by your own, Itachi."

"Pity that is irrelevant to my request," Itachi replied. "Now leave Orochimaru, while I still possess some patience."

Snarling, Orochimaru turned and walked away, disappearing into the shadows.

Beside him, Kakashi slumped. "What was _that_? I've never felt your killing intent be that malevolent before."

Itachi put his hand on his hip, killing intent fizzling out and Sharingan fading. "The Uchiha aren't puppets to be used by whoever. And while Sasuke might have an attitude, it'll take more than a Curse Mark to shake his faith."

"Mhmm, he is very vocal about people who don't follow the rules," Kakashi hummed. "Are you heading back? If so, can you send me some ANBU?"

"Yes, Lord Hokage asked me to watch Yashagorou." Itachi nodded and turned to head back upstairs himself. "If possible, it would be ideal to knock his team out here so that he can't remain in the village in the lead up to the third exam."

"We still don't really understand what move he's making though. And it sounds like he already has a plan in motion," Kakashi pointed out.

"It does, doesn't it?" Itachi sighed. "If I had to guess, Kabuto is related somehow, but I didn't pass him on the way here."

"Probably one of Orochimaru's pieces. I'll leave Orochimaru to you to keep in line," Kakashi said, scooping Sasuke off the floor and heading back up the stairs, Itachi leading the way.

"It's unlikely he'll do anything with Lord Third still watching, and to be perfectly honest, I don't want to fight him," Itachi admitted. "Trapping him in genjutsu is easy enough, but doing that mid-battle is harder, especially when he would be expecting it and have the support of his Genin. All three of which have seen our Genin fight. We're at the disadvantage."

"The numbers are with us," Kakashi reasoned.

"Yes, but Sand is an unknown. They may decide to join Sound and with them being the least damaged team, I have concerns."

"Sasuke is interested in that red-headed Sand ninja."

"The little one?" Itachi frowned. "There's something off about that one. With any luck, my students won't be paired against any of them. I get the feeling it would be a bad match up."

Kakashi cocked an eyebrow. "Worried about your students?"

"Always. I hold a lot of Konoha's future in my hand, something I tried to give up after the Coup idea failed," explained Itachi. "As do you. It would be wise of us to be careful with them." Leaving Kakashi on the entrance to the medical floor, Itachi continued up to the arena.

Orochimaru, disguise in place had already returned and glancing over, Itachi caught Anko's eye, passing a message on through genjutsu. _Sasuke's mark has been sealed, Orochimaru made contact and tried to claim the boy. Kakashi is requesting ANBU guard on the medical floor._

He saw the purple haired woman turn to Hiruzen and watched as the Hokage then instructed Ibiki, who left, presumably to get the requested ANBU.

"You missed a whole fight, Sensei," Shikamaru said without looking at Itachi. Following his student's gaze, Itachi saw the names on the board flicker before settling on the next pair.

"Perhaps, but then I would argue I'm just in time for a battle I'm more invested in."

"Nara Shikamaru and Tsuchi Kin," Hayate called, reading the names from the board. "Could you come down to me please?"

"Good luck, Shikamaru," Choji wished with a smile.

"I don't remember any weird additions to her body when I knocked her out," Ino said as Shikamaru passed her. "She might be totally normal."

"A guy can dream," he replied, crossing his arms behind his head and yawning.

"What happened with the fight I missed?" Itachi asked.

"Kankuro was fighting Kabuto's other teammate," Choji said. "The guy had like… liquid bones or something, and was able to snake his body around Kankuro. He planned on choking him into submission."

"Planned?"

"Yeah," nodded Ino. "Turns out Kankuro is a puppeteer and substituted himself with his puppet from the get go and then trapped Misumi. Hayate-sensei called the battle before Kankuro broke anything vital."

"That sounds rather underwhelming," Itachi said, filing away the information on the Sand ninja. Puppets were common use in Suna and as such a lot of the more skilled puppet makers and users lived there. A match up for two long ranged users wouldn't be ideal. But clearly Kankuro was masterful enough to deal with close range users too, usually a puppeteer's weakness.

"Look, can you just give up?" Shikamaru asked, drawing Itachi's attention. "I don't really want to fight any more people."

Kin smirked, "Then I'll end it quickly. Just stand still and accept defeat."

"He's already used his jutsu once on the Sound ninja," Ino said from Itachi's right. "And we don't know what she can do."

"Yeah," Choji agreed, "But did she get a good enough look to see Shadow Possession before you knocked her out?"

"Well, he's nothing to lose trying," reasoned Itachi, turning his head minutely as Kakashi reappeared by his team in a puff of smoke. Over by the Sound Ninja, Orochimaru in his guise looked directly at Itachi, eyebrow cocked haughtily. A challenge maybe?

"Shadow Possession jutsu!" Shikamaru called, hands flashing through signs, his shadow darkening and shooting toward Kin.

"Ha, one trick pony!" Kin smirked, dodging to the side. "As long as I watch that shadow of yours, and keep away, your jutsu is useless." The girl launched a counter attack of two senbon, which Shikamaru easily sidestepped.

Turning to examine the senbon as a ringing sound reached his ears Shikamaru scoffed. "Seriously? Bells? That's a lame trick. And an old one. You'll throw one with a bell and one without next, expecting me to use the ringing to dodge, and sticking me with the silent one."

"Shut up for two seconds and maybe you'll learn something," Kin returned, throwing her hand out.

"The ringing… it's coming from behind, not in front," Itachi noted, Shikamaru whirling to face the senbon behind him not long after.

"Fuck!" Shikamaru swore, turning back to Kin just in time to block a hard punch.

"She… used the bells as a distraction," Ino realised. "Were they on a wire or something?" she asked, shifting her body around, trying to catch the wires in the arena lighting.

"I assume so. But Shikamaru's not done yet," Itachi said. Shikamaru wobbled to his feet, grimacing.

"Bitch, don't you know that Zaku asshole fucked my back up?" Shikamaru griped. "That really hurt."

"M-my body, what's going on?"

Shikamaru smirked, "Have you seriously not worked it out?"

"N-no way, but your shadow-!"

"While you were thinking you were so smart, I made my shadow skinny enough to match the wire and had it work its way to you. I can control the size of it completely, so long as there's light to cast a shadow," Shikamaru explained, leaving off that there was only so far his shadow could extend. "I can also choose whether to keep you still or mimic me," he added, closing much of the distance between them before walking slowly backwards, Kin's body trembling as it was forced to comply. "That should be far enough."

"For what?" demanded Kin.

"Jeez. You're really stupid you know that?" Shikamaru asked, reaching to his side and making Kin draw a shuriken, his own weapons pouch strapped to his arm. "Do I have to spell it out for you?"

"Why am I the only one with a weapon?"

"Well, you see it doesn't serve any use to me to be armed. I'm in control of the situation," Shikamaru answered, pointing with his other hand to over Kin's shoulder. "I'll let you look behind and let's see if you can put two and two together."

Behind Kin, barely a foot away was the arena wall.

"In case you don't get it yet, you're going to throw that shuriken and copy my dodge. When you do, you'll crack your head on the wall and I'll be fine. That's what the shuriken is for, I need to get the speed right or I won't knock you out."

"Y-you can't be serious!"

"Deadly. Let's hope your shuriken goes straight, okay?" Shikamaru chirped. Throwing Kin's shuriken, Shikamaru waited a beat, watching the metal intently, falling backward and catching himself on his hands in a crab position while Kin's head made an awful noise as it collided with the wall, the girl going down like a sack of bricks. Releasing his jutsu, Shikamaru flipped over with a grimace, watching boredly as Hayate checked on Kin's condition. "What kind of ninja isn't aware of her surroundings?" he mumbled to himself, yawning.

"Winner, Nara Shikamaru!"

"Yes! Nice one, Shika!" Choji shouted, Ino pumped her fist in the sky, "Yeah!"

"He did that without really fighting at all. It was boring but kinda cool," Naruto muttered, leaning on the rail.

"Not all fights are interesting Naruto," Itachi chastised. "I often fight with just genjutsu. It makes for poor spectating."

"Huh? Why?"

"Well you can't see what my opponent sees, so it often just looks like they're losing their minds." Itachi shrugged. "It's still weird when I can get someone to fall unconscious just from an illusion."

"Why not just cast genjutsu on everyone?"

"Well, the more targets, the more chakra required, and it becomes harder to keep track of everyone. A single target is far easier to manipulate." Looking to the screen of flashing names, Itachi raised an eyebrow. "Tenten and Temari. I guess it's Gai's turn to show off his teachings."

"Wooo! Go Tenten! Show them the power of youth!" Lee cheered, already fired up before the match had begun.

Temari stalked down into the arena without a word from her or her comrades, meeting Tenten with a sour look on her face. "Let's get this over with already."


	16. Chapter 15: Never Give Up

Sorry this chapter took forever. I moved back to my parents during lockdown and my mum needed help crocheting for a display. Only my hands cramp if I crochet too much so those days I didn't get any writing done.

The fights here are kinda personal ones to each character, so rather than shift around POVs, it's from a more neutral POV. Let me know how this works, because it'll have an impact on how the third exam is written. Also sorry this chapter is really long. I wanted to get up to the 8th match but by the 6th we were already at 6k. So I opted to finish the 6th match as it's not overly long and matches 7-10 should be finished next chapter, along with the outline for the 3rd exam.

Also, Hinata calls Neji 'Brother' here, because it's as close as I'm willing to get to Neji-nii and I can sort of see the Hyuuga having this like... monkish way of calling their family, everyone being 'Brother' or 'Sister' while the Head and his family get Lady/Lord titles.

* * *

The Konoha ninja were completely silent, staring at the battlefield below. Temari… was _not_ Genin level. And what was worse, she was toying with Tenten.

The moment the battle started, Tenten had charged in with kunai, only to be easily dodged and kicked away by Temari. The Konoha ninja then followed up with a ranged barrage of quickly thrown shuriken that many Chuunin would have struggled to pull off, only for Temari to dispel them by unsheathing and swinging open the oversized fan on her back.

"Is that wind style?" Kakashi wondered, eye on Temari's fan.

"Genin-level ninja shouldn't be able to use elemental jutsu yet, it uses up too much chakra," Itachi mumbled. "Or if she can, she's a one-trick pony. Even most Clan Brats can only use one elemental jutsu at this age."

"Elemental jutsu? Like your fireballs?" asked Choji.

"Yes, clans specialising in elemental jutsu often produce children with larger chakra pools than average. I don't know how it is in other clans, but the Uchiha had a rite of passage of sorts. You weren't properly recognised within the clan until you were able to perform the Fireball jutsu," Itachi explained. "Consequently, some of us practised the jutsu from a very young age. But wind style is entirely different."

"Why's that?" asked Ino.

"Wind attribute is a rare affinity to have," explained Kakashi, keeping his gaze on Temari. "It's a very complex nature type that's hard to use, especially at this level."

"Can either of you two do it?" Choji asked.

Kakashi nodded, "Of course, Jonin-level ninja often have two or three types of the elemental jutsu mastered. And we both have the Sharingan, so copying and breaking down the intricacies of wind style is easier for us."

"You both have Sharingan?" Shikamaru said, eyebrows furrowing.

"Yes, but don't tell anyone. It's a secret," he added in a stage whisper, leaning toward Shikamaru conspiratorially. Behind him, Kurenai rolled her eyes.

"They know some, sure, but they probably haven't mastered it in the same was as a naturally wind aligned ninja would," she said.

"So, does that make Temari stronger than Itachi-sensei or Kakashi-sensei?" Hinata asked.

"No, not yet. I don't think she has the chakra levels or control to support wind style properly, that's why she has the fan. She's making wind and using her chakra nature to increase the natural wind's effect," Itachi said, watching Temari blast away another of Tenten's barrages with ease. "Give it a few years and only have us use wind style though? I think she'd win."

"Is that really possible though? Using a natural element and adding chakra to it?" Shikamaru asked.

Itachi nodded, "Yes, you see it most in earth style, as often users need earth to perform the jutsu at all. It's a good element to start with. With water style, it's easier to cast the jutsu using naturally occurring water as creating the water yourself uses a lot more chakra."

"Then you have fire style, which uses the oxygen in the air for fuel along with the user's chakra," added Kakashi. "If you know what you're doing, users can use their chakra to make the air combust with a spark and fire nature chakra. Most of them use it to light fires when camping as after the initial creation, the fire can feed itself on firewood."

"Can you do it with lightning too?" asked Naruto.

Kakashi blinked in mild surprise. "Yes, I suppose it's possible, but it would be very dangerous."

"You said Itachi-sensei and Kakashi-sensei wouldn't have mastered wind style like a natural," said Kiba, frowning. "Does that mean you know someone whose natural affinity is wind, Kurenai-sensei?"

"He's not in the village anymore, but there was someone in mine and Kakashi's graduating year who was a wind type user."

"But not yours, Itachi-sensei?"

"Just what are you implying, Kiba?" Itachi said with a forced smile. "I'm eight years younger than Kakashi-sensei, Kurenai-sensei and Lord Asuma."

"So the wind guy's called Asuma," hummed Shikamaru.

"EH?! Eight years younger!" yelled Kiba. "But you look like an old fart!"

"Don't you say my Sensei is ugly, Dog-Breath!" shrieked Ino her first raised.

Itachi's eye twitched. "He said I was old, not ugly, Ino."

"He's also ten years younger than Kurenai," mumbled Kakashi, paling as a dark gleam entered Kurenai's eye, the kunoichi cracking her knuckles. "N-not that that means anything at all, Kurenai-sensei."

"Would you imbeciles please stop messing around!"

Turning to the new voice, the speaker turned out to be Hyuuga Neji, who looked rather stressed out.

"Tenten is trying her hardest. The very least you can do is watch," he growled.

There was a beat of silence before Kakashi nodded, "You're right. We're very sorry." Following Kakashi's example, the rookie teams and their Sensei quietened down, looking back to the match that was as good as decided. Temari had exhausted Tenten's arsenal of weaponry, but the girl had yet to give up.

Pulling a scroll from her weapon pouch, Tenten leapt into the air whirling in place and placing her hands on the scroll's symbols as it unravelled around her, weapons summoning to her fingers before being released with pinpoint accuracy. Another scroll could just be made out in the shadow of the first, adding more weapons to the fray.

"It won't work," Shikamaru said softly, watching Temari deflect all of the weapons with another flick of her fan. "And that Sand ninja is done playing."

"What do you mean?" Choji whispered.

"She was smiling before, now she looks angry."

"Are you done yet?!" Temari barked. "Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is the very definition of madness!"

"I'm not mad, and I'm not done yet!" Tenten cried shifting her hands as the now empty scrolls fell to the ground. All of Tenten's weapons from the last attack shifted before rising into the sky.

"They're on wires!" Ino noted, her eyes widening.

Temari growled from the ground. "This was funny maybe the first three times, now it's just _annoying_!" She swished her fan, deflecting the weapons again then paused in place a moment as she gathered chakra. "Wind style: Wind Scythe jutsu!" Swinging her fan a final time a hurricane of wind burst toward Tenten, catching the airborne girl before she could land. There was nothing physical to block, so Tenten could do nothing but take the damage as her body's trajectory was completely controlled by Temari, the wind slicing into Tenten with its ministrations.

Tens of cuts covered Tenten's body staining her shirt red, her arms dripping with blood. She also appeared unconscious likely due to a deep looking cut on her temple as Tenten finally dropped from the sky to land on Temari's closed fan with an ugly thunk.

"Tenten!" Lee cried, pale with dread.

"Tenten can no longer continue the fight. The winner is Temari!" declared Hayate, turning as Temari flung her arm one last time to remove Tenten from her fan. Moving quickly, Lee caught her and held his unconscious teammate close.

"Nice catch," Temari mocked.

Lee growled, "What kind of etiquette is that!? How disrespectful!"

"What's disrespectful is how she wasted my time," Temari countered. "Get that loser out of here."

Lee grit his teeth and gently laid Tenten on the ground, medical ninja already approaching with a stretcher. In a flash, Lee was gone.

"Lee! No!" cried Neji, watching his teammate aim a roundhouse kick at Temari's head. Before the blow could connect though, Hayate flashed between the pair, his forearm blocking Lee's shin.

"That's enough. Go back to the viewing platform or you'll be disqualified," he said harshly, coughing into his hand once Lee had pulled back.

"Temari, get up here, leave Prince Charming and his foolish companions," called Gaara, lip curled in a snarl.

"Hayate's right, Lee. You and Neji have yet to perform," said Gai, who had also leapt down into the arena. Clapping a hand on Lee's shoulder he added, "There are more ninja we can show our strength to, and don't misunderstand. My team is full of strong people!" Gai emphasised, looking directly at the Sand ninja in the stands as he spoke. Kankuro and Gaara looked back with doubt.

"Don't pick a fight with them, Gai," Kurenai berated. "They are our honoured guests. Even if your student was defeated, we need to be civil."

Gai just smiled widely, his hand not leaving Lee's shoulder even when they were back by Neji on the viewing platform. The screen flickered away, randomising the next match.

_Uzumaki Naruto vs Inuzuka Kiba_

Naruto stared at the pairing. "Wait… I have to fight someone from our village?"

"It makes sense," Sakura explained. "Think about it, the majority of ninja in the preliminaries were Konoha ninja anyway. So it's more likely we'll have to fight each other."

"Yeah, but Sasuke and Shino had never met those older Konoha ninja. This is Kiba," Naruto pressed. "He's gonna be real mad when I kick his butt."

"Hey, what are you saying?!" Kiba shot, Akamaru barking in agreement with his master. "_I'm_ gonna kick _your_ ass!"

"Puh-lease. You should just give up now Kiba!"

"If you two could come down to the arena _before nightfall_, I appreciate it," Hayate interrupted, clearly getting to the end of his patience.

"Long day?" Kakashi called down, leaning on the railing chin in his hand.

"Five all-nighters, my girlfriend is on a long-term mission and these kids want to talk between each match like I haven't already said we're short on time? Yeah, I'm uh, a little stressed," Hayate agreed, waiting on Kiba and Naruto to reach him.

"We'll take you out for yakiniku once all the admin for the third exam is finished," Kurenai promised.

"Haha, if it's just the three of us, sure. No offense, Gai, but your personality is a little strong for me right now."

Gai grinned and shot Hayate a thumbs up, "That is A-Okay!"

"We could take Itachi, he barely talks," Kakashi mused.

Itachi frowned. "Itachi also has prior arrangements for tonight."

"Yeah, he's buying _us_ dinner," Ino smirked.

"And me!" Naruto shouted from below.

"Only if you win!" Choji called back happily. "We have a free pass~."

Naruto huffed and cracked his knuckles. "Then I better finish this quick! Eh?" Naruto paused, seeing Kiba's dog, Akamaru jump down onto the arena floor. "What are you doing?"

"Akamaru is a ninken. A ninja dog," Kiba told him. "He'll be fighting with me."

"Seriously?!"

Hayate raised his voice. "They come under the same classification as ninja tools. As would an animal summon. So they're perfectly fine in a fight like this."

"Animal summon..?"

"Naruto, don't get distracted," Kakashi called. "Focus on the match."

"Come on Naruto! You can't fight Sasuke if you don't win here!" Sakura reminded, raising her fists. "Beat him!"

"Yeah! I'll end it in one punch!"

"Oh? I think I'll end you in one punch," Kiba smirked.

"Don't get cocky, Kiba," Shino warned. "Why? Because Naruto has had time to grow too. He might be capable of much more than before."

"Ninja art: Beast Mimicry!" Kiba declared, quickly running through hand signs and crouching on all fours. A thin chakra sheen coated Kiba's body, canines elongating and fingernails twisting into claws. In a burst of speed, Kiba hurtled towards Naruto, landing a hard punch to his gut that sent Naruto spiralling into the wall behind him. "Well. That's you done, Naruto," he declared.

"Heh, no way Naruto could beat Kiba. He couldn't even use basic jutsu properly in the academy," Shikamaru smirked.

"Don't count Naruto out yet," warned Itachi.

Choji flapped his hand. "He's done, Sensei. No doubt."

"Oh? Then why are Kakashi and Sakura smiling?"

"Eh?" Ino turned to the two in question, startling. Sure enough both members of Team 7 looked confident.

"Ino! Naruto's getting up!" Choji cried.

Hinata smiled softly. "Naruto…"

Naruto wobbled on his feet, a blood trail slipping down his chin before finding sure footing. Swiping a hand over his face to wipe the blood, he jabbed a finger at Kiba. "Don't. Even for a second, underestimate me."

"GO! You can do it Naruto!" Sakura cheered loudly.

"You say as you bleed on the floor. Look you're done, Naruto, just give up!"

"I let you hit me," Naruto insisted panting lightly. "To test your strength. You should stop acting tough, Kiba. You can't beat me on your own, so use your dog or whatever."

Kiba gritted his teeth, "You'll regret being so cocky! Akamaru!" The boy charged at Naruto, Akamaru barking affirmation and joining the charge. Kiba then threw a smoke bomb at Naruto.

"They're attacking him in a smoke screen!" Shikamaru realised as Kiba and Akamaru also disappeared from view.

"That's kinda underhanded," noted Choji with a frown.

Itachi hummed, "It's not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it's clever to disguise your attacks. It makes them harder to block. Naruto might actually lose this one."

"Naruto never gives up," Sakura insisted softly, her hand gripping the rail tightly. "He won't be beat by a smoke bomb." True enough, at that moment, Naruto ran out of the smoke, looking distinctly more battered than before. Kiba and Akamaru left the smoke too, with the dog biting Naruto harshly on the arm, the blonde crying out in pain and falling back into the smoke cloud.

A few moments passed and when the smoke cleared, Naruto lay limp on the floor, while Akamaru sat nearby wagging his tail in triumph.

"Haha! Yes! Well done, Akamaru!" Kiba cheered. Akamaru barked and ran over to Kiba, startling the boy by biting him on the arm, exactly how he had hurt Naruto not long before. "Aka… maru?" Kiba blinked, staring at his dog. "W-what are you?"

"Akamaru has never bitten Kiba," Shino mumbled, "Why? Because Kiba is his master, a good one at that. And Akamaru is a good dog."

"Hahaha, you fell for it!" laughed Akamaru, transforming in a puff of smoke into Naruto, his teeth still gripping Kiba's arm.

"W-woah! How'd Naruto do that?!" Choji balked. "That guy was terrible at Transformations at the academy."

"Not only that, the other Naruto must be a Clone," said Shikamaru, "The other jutsu he was awful at."

"It seems Naruto's grown a lot," Itachi hummed. "Nut where is Akamaru?"

The same question was on Kiba's lips, shoving Naruto roughly in the face to get him to release Kiba's arm.

"Bleh! You reek like a dog!" Naruto spluttered, pawing at his tongue with a grimace. Behind him the other Clone, a solid one from a more concrete technique than the basic clone jutsu taught at the academy, stood up, Akamaru's front paws held in a firm grip, leaving the puppy dangling sadly in the air.

Akamaru yipped in apology, his tail low with shame.

Kiba balked, "Akamaru!" Taking half a step towards his dig, Naruto gave him pause by blocking his path with a kunai. Growling, Kiba took a couple of steps back, his gaze shifting between the Narutos and Akamaru in thought.

"Damn that was good timing," Temari praised. "Pulling off a substantial Clone justu takes some chakra, and to pull off a Transformation that fooled the dog's owner?"

"Yeah, he's something," Kankuro hummed in agreement. "Better than I was expecting from such a loudmouth."

"No way, he's gone from being able to do barely any jutsu to pulling off two strategically in a couple of seconds?" Ino balked.

"I kinda feel bad for hitting him in the forest," Choji mumbled.

"Maybe you knocked some sense into him?" Shikamaru suggested. "That's the Shadow Clone jutsu right?" he added to Itachi.

"Probably, that's the variant taught in Konoha, but Water Clones and Earth Clones aren't unheard of." That, and Itachi remembered the report from Iruka where Naruto apparently summoned hundreds of Shadow Clones after stealing the Scroll of Sealing in an attempt to pass the academy exam.

"You're dead, Naruto," Kiba growled.

"Haha, I'm just getting started Kiba, I'm gonna kick your butt with my new technique!"

Reaching into his pack, Kiba pulled out a small ball and flicked it at Akamaru. Surprised, Naruto or his Clone didn't react before the dog swallowed it, the puppy growling ferociously, hind legs smacking into the clone and dispelling it before landing on the floor. Akamaru's fur was now a deep red and despite still being small, it was obvious the dog was stronger than before.

"Guess the name Akamaru makes sense now," Shikamaru mumbled. "Looks like Kiba's taking a food pill too."

"Yeah, but I don't get why," Choji said, looking down at the fight. "They're meant to be for replenishing chakra or food. Kiba's scuffed up but he's probably not lacking in either since they got here before we did."

"So he's bolstering his current strength?" Ino wondered.

"Maybe, but if I had to guess, the jutsu he's planning on using is intense, so he's artificially pushing his chakra limits to support long-term use," Choji replied, unaware of Sakura turning to look at him in shock. "It's kinda frowned upon, since it can damage the chakra network."

"Akamaru! Let's go!" commanded Kiba, crouching hands slipping into signs. Akamaru gave an affirmative growl, jumping on Kiba's back, barking as Kiba finished his jutsu. "Ninja art: Beast Mimicry, and Beast Human Clone." Kiba's body swelled with chakra, the cloak of blue chakra thrumming with power as Kiba's body shifted, teeth and nails sharpening and the subtle shift of his hips suggested his movement had also been altered. Above him, Akamaru disappeared in a puff of smoke, transforming into a second feral Kiba.

"What the hell?" Naruto muttered, looking between the two Kiba's.

"Is Naruto going to be okay?" Sakura wondered.

"Here we come!" Kiba yelled, both Kiba charging forward on all fours in a burst of chakra-enhanced speed. Naruto, unable to block or dodge in time took the blows, the Kibas claws tearing into his skin, drawing blows from Naruto's left arm and right leg.

More attacks followed, Naruto gritting his teeth as he focused on trying to out-manoeuvre the Kibas, ducking, dodging, weaving, anything to minimise the damage.

Ino swallowed, "I'm kind of glad I didn't get picked, they're both way more vicious than they were at the academy." All three were fast and though it was easier to follow the match from the stands, it would have been a terrible match up for any of Team 10, their abilities weren't known for speed.

The jump Naruto performed to escape one of the attacking Kiba's turned out to be a big mistake. Using his claws to pivot on the spot, Kiba began to twist his body around like a drill on the next pass at Naruto. "Akamaru, Fang Over Fang!" The other Kiba barked, twisting his body too. The two gained speed using their chakra becoming two grey human-sized bullets, heading straight for an airborne Naruto.

"Shit, he can't dodge!" Shikamaru realised.

"This is Kiba's ultimate jutsu," Shino informed, nothing about his stance or tone giving away what he was thinking.

The two spinning Kiba's tore into Naruto as they passed, their claws splattering Naruto's blood over the floor as the blonde smacked face first into the tiled floor.

"N-Naruto!" Hinata cried her shoulders hunching to make her smaller, her lavender eyes filled with pain as she looked at Naruto's twitching form.

"Shouldn't that be 'well done, Kiba'?" Shino asked. Hinata tried to shrink further into herself, causing him to sigh. "Don't worry about it, why? It'll boost Kiba's confidence to know you weren't worried about his ability to win."

"Th-thanks, Shino…" Hinata mumbled not looking overly comforted.

"Naruto!" Sakura cried.

Naruto groaned, trying to push himself up with weak hands, his body reaching its limits.

"Give it up, Naruto. The difference between our abilities is too great," Kiba declared. Naruto mumbled in response. "What's that? Become Hokage?" Kiba laughed. "No way, you're too weak. I'll tell you what, I'll become Hokage for you!"

"You shouldn't taunt him like that, Kiba," Itachi murmured.

Choji frowned, "Naruto's always shouting about he's going to become Hokage. Can he actually manage it?"

"Don't look down on him, Choji," Sakura replied, her tone clipped. "Naruto may be loud, but he's not weak."

"Neither's Kiba," Shikamaru commented.

"That's the problem though, isn't it?" Kakashi commented softly. "Kiba's strength is acknowledged, while Naruto struggles just off to the side while no one watches."

Kurenai looked down beside her to Hinata, "He's not the only one not being seen." Directing her eyes back to the match, she added, "But it doesn't matter. Kiba's correct, he's stronger than Naruto. So no matter how much Naruto has grown, his strength won't be acknowledged here since he can't win."

"Get up, Naruto!" Sakura roared. "Everyone is watching! So don't you dare back down!"

"I don't quit and I won't run," Naruto repeated, the gathered Genin and Ibiki remembering this was Naruto's response to the tenth question. It took several moments, but Naruto found his feet and slowly raised his head to meet Kiba's gaze, the blood running down his face adding a macabre edge to Naruto's grin. "'Become Hokage for me'? If you think I'm gonna let you get in the way of my dream, you're dead wrong."

"Jeez, learn when you're beat will you," Kiba said lowly his eyes narrowing. "You're dead on your feet and I don't want to accidentally kill you. Akamaru!"

"Like I'll for this again!" Naruto challenged, seeing the two twist into their Fang Over Fang technique again.

"I'd like to see you stop us!" Kiba growled in reply, his and Akamaru's claws racking across Naruto's skin again, his jumpsuit being torn apart in the process. The two beast fighters turned and repeated their attack, dealing more damage to Naruto, his left sleeve barely more than rags. The zipped of his jacket had also been torn by the claws, the bottom half open to reveal Naruto's mesh shirt, the tight chainmail possibly the only thing keeping Naruto's guts from being on the floor.

Finally getting the timing, Naruto dodged the next strike by jumping high in the air, but Kiba had a counter ready, and threw smoke bombs at Naruto to rob the boy of his sight. Tracking Naruto by scent, the two beast fighters attacked again, trying to keep up a relentless barrage to keep Naruto down.

"Why don't they just finish it?" Shikamaru wondered. "They can do so much damage, but Naruto's still getting up."

"Kiba and Akamaru have short claws," Hinata answered softly. "In-in our team formations, I'm supposed to locate targets and Shino and Kiba move to disable them. O-our techniques are more designed t-to prolonged battle akin t-t-to torture," she stammered, twisting her hands. "It's how we get information."

"Ah, so Kiba tears people up until they're begging to give you answers." Shikamaru nodded. "That means you all have more stamina than us."

"And leaves me wondering what kind of formation Team 7 is meant to have," Choji mumbled trying not to be overheard by Sakura. "As far as I've seen from Sasuke and Naruto, they don't have capture ability, and no offense to Sakura, but she wasn't demonstrating stellar skill in the forest."

"It was three against one," Ino chided. "But I get what you mean. Maybe Naruto and Sakura are supposed to tangle enemies up and leave them exposed to Sasuke's Sharingan?"

"It also means that Kiba _can't_ actually finish a resilient opponent by himself. He either needs help, or wait for their body to finally give out," Itachi noted. "Naruto is going to keep going no matter what, so rather than causing him pain; Kiba might have to switch to attacks that would limit Naruto's movements, like attacking the ligaments in his ankles."

"That's barbaric!" Sakura shot.

Itachi raised his eyebrow questioningly. "It's not against the rules." The smoke bomb faded away as the Kibas put distance between themselves and Naruto, the knucklehead ninja still standing despite a long gash up his shin. "Kiba seems quite at home in a smoke screen," Itachi noted as the boy blinded Naruto again.

"Of course, all of my students have excellent senses, so they don't have to rely on sight to fight an opponent," Kurenai boasted. "Kiba's sense of smell is generally very strong, but with his Beast Mimicry, it's much more sensitive. He and Akamaru can pick up Naruto's scent with no problems."

"Oh? Then I wonder why Kiba's stopped attacking," Itachi remarked with a small smile. True enough the sounds of Naruto's pained gasps and the pounding of hands and feet on the floor had come to a halt. As the smoke cleared, it revealed three Kibas looking at each other with confusion and suspicion.

"Damn. That's kinda clever," Shikamaru praised. "He probably smells enough like Kiba and Akamaru at this point from all their attacks Kiba won't be sure at a glance."

"Kiba has had Akamaru since he was a baby, I doubt he would get it wrong," Shino argued.

"Who cares? Get em while they're confused, Naruto!" Sakura cheered.

"Do you even have any idea of tactics?" Shikamaru questioned. Ino kicked him in the shin, hushing him when Shikamaru turned to glare at her. "Urgh, what a drag."

"I wasn't expecting it the last time, but I'm not going to be fooled twice, Naruto!" Kiba declared, winding up a blow to strike one of his copies. The transformed Kiba's eyes widened with concern as the original struck, the powerful blow sending them flying, the transformation coming undone as they skidded on the floor. "Don't underestimate my nose," Kiba told him, smirking as the smoke cloud from the cancelled jutsu faded leaving Akamaru's limp form exposed. "Wh-what!?"

Kurenai's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "Kiba… got it wrong?"

"Impossible," Shino insisted. "There has to be more to this."

"You bastard!" Kiba screeched, whirling on the other Kiba, punching that one decidedly harder, Hinata wincing at the sound of that Kiba also clattering to the floor. Another puff of smoke revealed a second Akamaru. "I… what..?" Kiba looked caught between screaming and crying as he looked between both injured Akamaru.

"Double transformation. Heh, well, he was the class prankster," mused Kakashi.

"And now his formation is broken," Shikamaru noted. "Time for Naruto to make a comeback."

One of the Akamaru's twisted to his feet while Kiba was distracted, leaping at the Inuzuka. In a puff of smoke, the Akamaru reverted into Naruto just in time to kick Kiba in the face.

"Jeez. You and Sasuke must really be rubbing off on him," Ino muttered to Sakura. The pinkette smiled, sticking her tongue out cheekily.

"Heh, you should think before using your jutsu, or it will get used against you. Don't fall for such obvious tricks! Idiot!" Naruto lectured. Up on the viewing platform, Kakashi sagged.

"I told _you_ that, Naruto. Don't go getting cocky," the Copy Ninja mumbled.

"At least he learned something," Itachi reasoned. "He's surprisingly studious under the right conditions."

Naruto continued to taunt Kiba, seemingly in an attempt to enrage him and also buy Naruto precious recovery time. Trying to keep his cool, Kiba bit his own hand, sharped canines drawing blood quickly. Reaching out to Akamaru, whom Naruto had kicked him next to, Kiba smoothed the puppy's now white fur. It seemed their food pill boost was all used up.

"You stay here, Akamaru, I got this buddy," Kiba told the puppy gently, getting up and removing eight shuriken from his weapon pouch, each throwing star held between his finger joints.

"How much chakra does Naruto have anyway?" Ino wondered.

Choji looked over to her, "Hm?"

"Think about it, Kiba boosted his chakra, was fully rested and even how is barely injured. By contrast, Naruto is all beat up, got here and not even an hour later has to fight again. He should be exhausted. And yet he's still pulling of Transformations and hasn't lost much of his usual energy."

"All this time though, he's not been faster than Kiba," Shikamaru pointed out. "I'd like to say it's Kiba's match, but Naruto's throwing out surprises like it's Christmas."

"He is a splendid ninja!" complimented Lee. "His power of youth gives him strength in the face of adversity!"

"And yet the power of youth isn't going to stop shuriken slicing his eyeballs out," Itachi muttered, tone edging on exasperated annoyance.

"Getting serious again, Kiba?" asked Naruto, grinning widely, making the ram seal to draw his chakra, "Then I'll end this with my new jutsu!"

"New jutsu? I don't know what you're planning, but I'm not going to let you try it!" Kiba flicked his shuriken at Naruto, forcing the boy to block instead of focusing on his chakra. While Naruto was trying to gather his energy again, Kiba slipped behind him and swung his clawed fingers. "Too slow, Naruto!"

Stressed, straining for chakra and caught off guard, Naruto's body gave a small lurch and an unpleasant sound echoed around the area, along with an equally unpleasant smell.

"GAHHH!" Kiba reeled back, hands clasping over his nose.

Choji hollered with laughter while the other rookies looked on in horror, "Naruto farted in his face, excellent!"

"That is completely disgusting," Ino cringed, wrinkling her nose.

"Effective though, however unintended that might have been," Kakashi said. "Kiba's senses are even more sensitive than ours right now. His jutsu has come back to bite him."

"Gah, I was straining so hard it just came out!" Naruto flapped, seeming stunned himself.

"Forget it, just finish Kiba while he's smell-stunned!" Sakura cried.

"Ah-y-yeah! Here we go! Multi Shadow Clone jutsu!" From a large puff of smoke, five Naruto appeared, the original mixed in somewhere. "Let's go!" exclaimed one Naruto, the others cheering as they fanned out before charging Kiba, who hadn't recovered yet.

"U-zu-ma-ki!" the Narutos called as they each landed single powerful blows on the Inukuza, one punching him to stagger the boy before three more dropped to the floor, using high kicks to launch Kiba into the air similar to the beginning of Lee's Primary Lotus. The fifth and final Naruto leapt into the air to deliver the final blow: a drop kick. "Naruto Barrage!"

The kick sent Kiba smashing face first into the ground, just unlike Naruto, even after a couple of minutes, Kiba showed no signs of getting up.

Kneeling down to check Kiba, Hayate coughed before declaring, "Kiba is unconscious. The winner is Uzumaki Naruto!"

"YEAH! Nice one Naruto!" Sakura cheered.

"Hehe," Naruto chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. Medical ninja made their way towards the two, but Naruto waved them off, running to the step humming a happy tune as he went.

As Naruto made his way towards his team, he paused, looking around as he thought he heard his name. "Huh? Hinata, Shino, did you guys say something?"

Hinata fumbled with a small jar before offering it to Naruto with shaking hands. "N-Naruto, here."

"Huh? What is it?" Naruto asked, looking the jar over from all angles while Hinata held it.

"Medicinal ointment," Kurenai answered, smiling a little at Hinata.

"Eh? Why me, I'm not on your team."

"Don't be so suspicious," Shino chided. "Why? Hinata is a good person. Take what she offers."

Naruto frowned at him. "Yeah yeah, creep. Uh, thanks, Hinata, you're really nice," he said, smiling. "Not many people give me stuff."

Hinata's cheeks reddened. Looking away she mumbled, "I-I'm going to check on Kiba."

Pleasantly surprised, Naruto took the jar and headed towards his team, while Hinata handed another jar of ointment to the medical ninja carrying Kiba away, the boy shooting Hinata a woozy smile, barely aware as he was.

"Wow, that oinment's like magic," Choji noted, blinking incredulously as Naruto applied a small amount over his various cuts, the wounds hissing before his skin eagerly knit itself back together.

"Alright, now the floor's clear, next match!" Hayate shouted, coughing while the board picked the next pair.

"Well shit," murmured Itachi. "Of all the luck."

_Hyuuga Hinata vs Hyuuga Neji_

Noting the concern in Kurenai's eyes, Ino turned to Itachi. "You don't sound happy about that match up."

"Neither does Hinata," Shikamaru noted, seeing how Hinata wasn't even standing in a battle ready stance.

"To be honest, I can't really think of a good match up for Hinata, but I think Neji is easily one of her worst," Itachi noted.

"Why's that?"

"They're family. All it takes is for that to mean something to one of them and not the other and the match is over before it starts."

"I didn't think I'd be fighting you here, Lady Hinata," Neji noted from the arena floor, his tone barely passing as respectful.

"Brother…"

"EH?! They're siblings?" Naruto balked.

"No, but they are both Hyuuga. One is from the main family, and the other the branch family," explained Kakashi. "I suppose they're cousins."

"Eh? What're those."

"The main family contains the heir to the clan, in this case, Hinata," Lee explained. "Neji's a branch member, so even though he has Hyuuga blood, he can never inherit the clan."

"What's more, Hinata and Neji's fathers were twins," Itachi said softly. "So in essence, Hinata is fighting her brother. But it's likely Neji doesn't feel that way at all."

"Why not?" asked Sakura.

Again, Lee was the one to answer. "Neji hasn't said much about it, but the main and branch families… a lot of things happened and there's a lot of tension within the clan. The two branches don't get along well." He looked to Itachi for confirmation as he spoke. "I understand it's common in old familes for there to be a main household and for certain protection to be in place to protect their family kekkei genkai, but the Hyuuga took it one step further and have many rules in place to essentially lock the branch family out. So because of this, the branch family feels slighted."

"It goes deeper than that, but it's not my place to say," Itachi said eventually, crossing his arms and leaning back against the wall.

"Are the Uchiha like that too?" Sakura asked.

"They have a main family, and everything that isn't the current head's family is in essence the branch family," he explained. "The main family is subject to change though, as a new head can be voted in should the head and his family be killed or decline the position. It's rare that happens though."

"What about protecting the Sharingan?"

"Everyone who unlocks it registers that with the clan head. The list is memorised among all members with the Sharingan and we're to treat our eyes like confidential information, gouging them out and destroying them, rather than be taken by the enemy," Itachi replied flatly. "Some have sealing justu linked to their Sharingan that will destroy the eye the moment it's removed from a socket."

"I wonder if the Hyuugas have an equally awful way of looking after their jutsu?" Choji said, frowning at the two in the arena.

"Hinata wouldn't hate a fly if it poked her in the eye, she's so soft," Ino commented. "Neji… he's going to destroy her isn't he?"

"That would be my guess, if Hinata can find the strength to put up arms," Itachi replied. "Neji isn't likely to attack if Hinata isn't willing to fight."

"Because of the rules between the branch and main families?" Shikamaru asked.

"The rules don't forbid fighting, though Hinata does technically have a way to shut that down," Itachi murmured, making sure none of the other teams heard him. "Essentially, I believe the moment Neji has permission from her, he's going to turn Hinata into a punching bag, because she's the embodiment of everything he hates."

Ino shuddered and looked to the arena. "Hinata…"

"Lady Hinata, you should quit before we begin," Neji said flatly. "You don't make for a good Shinobi, you're too soft, you avoid conflict and you're always agreeing with people to keep the peace. That's why you agreed to the Chuunin exams, it wasn't your choice, but the choice of your teammates, and they don't need you anymore, they can continue on without you from this point." All while Neji spoke, Hinata refused to make eye contact with Neji, her body language tight and withheld. "You have no self-confidence, even now you're looking for an out. Take it. Quit."

"Y-you're wrong," Hinata replied at length, her foot shifting slightly on the ground like some slight tic. "I, I came here to change. I want to be better."

"Spoiled brat," Neji snarled. "You can't change your destiny. You are what you are. And what you are is a failure!"

"Hinata, don't just stand there like a limp noodle, defend yourself!" Ino urged.

"Is he gonna tear her down mentally if he can't get her physically?" Shikamaru growled tone laced with distaste.

Shino's voice was tight as he spoke. "Hinata is not the same person Neji knew. Just like Naruto surprised us last match, I believe in her."

It was clear however, that Neji did not believe in Hinata, and her resolve was starting to waver under his verbal assault. "Because people cannot change the hands they are dealt words like loser and elite are born. Looks, brains, wealth, charisma, social standing. All of these are judged by people and they live chained to their defined value as judged by others. They are unchangeable and discrimination rears its ugly head, hammering home the futility of trying to change. Just like how I can't change the fact I'm from the branch family and you are from the main family, despite my being stronger than you, more talented."

"Put simply, he tried to change once and was beat down for it," Itachi supplied, watching Hinata tremble and try to tell Neji he was wrong.

"Drop the act, do you think you can lie so easily to the Byakugan?!" Neji challenged, his face tensing and Hinata visibly recoiling as the veins around Neji's eyes thickened and the edges of a pupil formed on his irises.

"Byakugan… the Hyuuga kekkei genkai," Lee mumbled. "Neji can see everything in any direction. It has almost no blind spots and can see through objects."

"Shit, that's scary stuff," Naruto realised. "Hinata can do that too?"

"If Neji calms down his killing intent maybe," Ino noted her gaze full of pity for Hinata.

"You can't fool me. Just now, when you threatened by me, your eyes floated to the upper left. That means you are remembering past experiences. Remembering pain. After that, you looked to the lower left, which signals you're imagining physical and mental pain. Basically, you're thinking about yourself and the experiences you've had up until now. You're imagining you'll lose!"

Shikamaru looked to Ino. "Is he on the money there?" Being that her father was high up in the Interrogation Division, it was only natural Ino knew something about reading people.

"Upper left is remembrance, and the lower imagining, but you can't pick up the emotions without taking in facial features, and quite frankly the similarity between pain, fear and worry means Neji's probably just manipulating Hinata based on detecting her fear." Ino sighed. "Hinata probably knows what Neji has planned if she fights. Or is now being tricked into remembering another fight that didn't go so well."

"That's so underhanded!" Naruto snarled, lip curling back from his teeth.

"The action of raising your arms in front of your body is you trying to create a wall between us," Neji continued. "You want to distance yourself from me. To stop me figuring out how you really feel, because I'm right and that scares you even more."

"This isn't him using his Byakugan ability is it?" Choji said, looking to Itachi. "He's just using standard body language readings to manipulate Hinata, and maybe a genjutsu from his Byakugan to mess with her?"

"Byakugan has no genjutsu potential, it's an entirely physical kekkei genkai," Itachi responded. "But you're right about everything else, Choji. To unlock the Byakugan is a basic feat among the Hyuuga, but a feat nonetheless. With it, the user can see their opponent's chakra network, and it's the threat of knowing Neji has the ability to permanently destroy her chakra points that is scaring Hinata. The fights she's remembering are probably spars with her father."

Kurenai turned to him. "You sound like you know a lot about Hinata's training."

"Am I wrong?" Itachi asked tilting his head. "Unlike the Uchiha, the Hyuuga press their progeny for kekkei genkai activation. I assume the trigger for it is different than the Sharingan, but I honestly don't know. What I do know is that I was coached in genjutsu creation by Fugaku the moment I had the dexterity to form hand signs."

"Did you ever get punished for doing it wrong?" Kurenai wondered.

"No, but then, what makes you think I ever did it wrong?" Itachi said with a grin that didn't quite meet his eyes. Team 10 shared a look of doubt but didn't say anything, instead looking back to Hinata who was shaking like a leaf, the beginnings of tears prickling her eyes.

Naruto grit his teeth. "Kurenai-sensei," he started slowly.

"Hm? Yes, Naruto?"

"Did Hinata ever get hurt by her dad?"

"I never saw such a thing, but he did seem a particularly harsh trainer," Kurenai admitted. That didn't seem to calm Naruto down at all though, his body tense, lips curled back in anger.

Sakura turned to Itachi. "How come the Uchiha don't press for Sharingan activation?"

Itachi raised his eyebrow at her. "The Sharingan is activated by severe emotional stress. It's not considered reasonable to force clansmen into that position," he said simply looking back to Neji. "But once it's unlocked, training it to full maturation in a timely manner is expected."

"What kind of emotional stress?"

"Hinata! You can do it! Don't listen to this jerk!" Naruto shrieked, drowning out Sakura's question. "Stop deciding what people can or can't do, asshole!" he added to Neji. "Kick his ass, Hinata!"

Neji turned to glare at the blonde, while Hinata stopped her shaking and looked hopeful.

"Naruto's right, Hinata. Don't let Neji get to you," Shino urged.

"Come on! Stand up for yourself!" Naruto shouted determined gaze boring into Hinata.

Raising his voice, Choji joined the encouragement. "It'll be okay, Hinata, what's important here is doing your best! Win or lose, your team will be there for you."

"Yeah, Kiba might be in the medical bay," added Ino, "But Shino believes in you, and we're all routing for you too!"

Neji frowned, his eyes narrowing. Up on the stands, Lee caught the look and raised his hands defensively, not wanting to upset his teammate by picking sides. Looking back to his opponent, Neji started a little at seeing Hinata far more put together, confident almost.

"You're not forfeiting then?" Hinata shook her head once and moved to a battle stance. Mirroring her stance, Neji said, "Then I'm not responsible for what happens next." Hinata's Byakugan activated her whole body tensing.

"I'm not running, Brother. I'll fight, and show you that you're wrong."

Neji didn't reply, but after a moment, the two Hyuuga were attacking each other with wide kata, using palms rather than fists to strike at each other.

"Hey, what's that stance they're using?" Naruto asked, confusion softening his anger.

"It's called the Gentle Fist," Shino supplied. "All Hyuuga are taught how to fight using it as it's a fighting style formed around their usage of the Byakugan."

"Eh?"

"Do you remember when Itachi-sensei explained that the Byakugan can see a person's chakra network?" Lee asked Naruto, who nodded slowly. "This Hyuuga style of battle involves the user pushing small bursts of chakra from the hands to strike at the minute chakra points in a person's body only the Byakugan can see. They use it to block their opponent's chakra network."

"The dangerous part is that chakra network runs around the organs," Kakashi warned in a dark tone. "So it isn't always just a chakra point a Hyuuga will aim at, they can also use their strikes to cause severe internal damage."

"In a spar, it's frowned upon them to strike at the torso," Itachi continued, "Because of the danger as Kakashi implies, and generally, to shut an opposing Hyuuga down, striking the chakra points in the arms so they can't use the Gentle Fist would be better, that's why when they fight, they're trying to keep each other at arm's length and don't allow the other's palms to touch them."

Throughout the explanations, Naruto nodded along though it was doubtful he understood any of the information.

Sighing, Sakura turned Naruto back to the fight. "Watch. They fight with their palms because every attack is using chakra, like a jutsu," she explained, Naruto making a noise of understanding. As they watched Neji and Hinata weave around each other, Hinata reacted to an opening and closed in on Neji's torso, the boy grunting and slipping back a step.

"Did she get him!?" Naruto asked excitedly.

"No, Neji dodged," Itachi supplied.

"How come they don't use their feet?" Naruto wondered, lighting up as Hinata pressed her advantage, "Yeah! That's it, Hinata! Don't let him recover! Woo!"

Waiting for Naruto to calm down, Lee answered. "While legs may be longer than arms, the Gentle Fist has a strict set of kata. If Hinata tried a kick, Neji would strike at her leg, and because he'd damage her chakra network and the leg muscles it surrounds, Hinata wouldn't be able to use that leg anymore, allowing him to slip behind her defence. With this style, even a slight brush of fingers can cause a lot of damage."

"You… you know a lot huh, Bushy Brows?"

"Of course!" Lee chirruped. "Neji has repeatedly done that exact thing to me during spars!"

"Ah! Hinata's got him!" Ino called. From the angle they were at, it seemed as if Hinata had struck Neji in the chest, the boy's back blocking some of the view. The arena was still for long moments, the silence broken by Hinata's sudden coughing, blood flecks coming along with the hacking.

"Hinata!" cried Naruto and Sakura worriedly. By Kurenai, Shino's hands gripped the rail in a white-knuckled grip.

"I-I don't…" Naruto stammered brows furrowed as he looked between the two Hyuuga. Neji's hands fell away from Hinata, spots of the girl's blood dripping down his wrists.

"Neji got her… but I thought Hinata was on the attack and Neji on defence?" asked Choji.

Panting heavily, her determination unwavering, Hinata cried out as she tried once more to strike Neji, only for him to grab her arm, swiftly jabbing his index and middle fingers into the muscle of her arm, just below the elbow. Hinata tried to pull back, but Neji's grip was solid. In seeming answer to Choji's question, Neji then reached up and slid Hinata's sleeve up her arm, revealing angry marks all up her forearm.

"No way… you were letting me get close…" Hinata realised.

"Correct, I played you like the worthless fiddle you are," Neji snarked, knocking Hinata away with a palm strike of his own. "The difference in our talent will never change. I am elite and you are a loser." Looking down at Hinata sprawled out on the ground, Neji continued, "You can't change anything by willing it."

"You're upset with me, I understand, Neji," Hinata said slowly, pushing herself slowly to her feet. "I'm upset with me too. I'm never as strong as people want," she told the floor, her eyes slowly meeting Neji's. "But you're upset with yourself too. Angry that your hard work hasn't been recognised. That's why you shouted at the others during Tenten's match. You think hard work should be recognised."

Growling, Neji darted forward, striking at Hinata's torso, each blow of his fingers drawing a pained cry from Hinata before he knocked the girl to the floor again. "You have no idea what you're talking about," he spat. "Look at you, so pathetic you can't even keep the Byakugan activated."

Hinata's pale lavender eyes looked back at Neji with sadness and a level of pity that had Neji's lip curling. "Get up. If you won't forfeit, I'll knock you down until you can't get back up."

Softly Hinata asked, "Do you think if you keep beating me up that somehow things will change and the main family will acknowledge you? Brother, I watch. I may not always speak my mind, but I'm always watching. I know you're better than me. Even though I train, you have more strength, and for that, you _should_ be recognised. But I can't make that happen because I'm not strong enough. My own father declared me a failure. You aren't the only one struggling under a destiny you don't want."

"Don't compare us!" Neji yelled.

Weakly, and taking much longer than before, Hinata worked her way to her feet. "Let it go, Brother, there's no-blugh!" Hinata cut herself off, doubling over coughing, more blood leaving her mouth and splattering onto the floor.

"He's damaged her organs," Kurenai muttered.

"And with the number of points struck on her arms, she probably can't use the Gentle fist anymore," Kakashi agreed. "This match is over."

"Hinata…" Ino bit her lip in worry. "Is she going to be okay?"

"There's a lot of blood, but the medical team here should be very competent. When Neji wins, she'll be taken there," Itachi confirmed.

Naruto glared at the Sensei before turning to Hinata. "Don't give up! Fuck all these people who don't believe in you, Hinata! Prove them wrong, I know you can do it!"

"H-huh? Hinata's eyes, that's the Byakugan again," Choji noted.

Ino balked, "She… she's not seriously planning on continuing to fight is she?"

Darting forward, Hinata made to strike. "I can't give up here, Brother, not when people are finally starting to see my strength," she told him, barely able to keep up as Neji responded to her blows in kind.

"Why do you keep trying if know you can't win?" he demanded.

"Because the person I admire most doesn't give up either. Eventually, that hard work _will_ pay off. It doesn't matter when, only that it will."

"You're really beginning to piss me off," Neji told her, palm smacking into Hinata's jaw. Reeling back, the girl coughed, the sound distorted by Hinata's low groan. Unable to move for a moment, she cradled her jaw and shook bodily with each cough. "Just. Give. Up."

Shaking her head, Hinata stepped forward again, palm raised. Sidestepping the attack, Neji dealt a direct blow to her stomach.

"I'll kill you if I have to to make you understand." Lowering his hand and stepping back, Hinata collapsed onto the floor. "No matter how many times you get up, this scenario isn't changing. You won't win. Your attacks have done absolutely nothing to me and yet every time I attack, you collapse. You cannot change the outcome by being stubborn."

Hayate stepped forward after a moment, Hinata making no signs of getting up. "Continuing the match is impossible-."

"Shut your mouth!" Naruto roared. "You gave me time to get up, let Hinata!"

"Naruto!" Sakura shot, "Can't you see she can't win here? It doesn't matter if she gets up-."

"Yes it does!" the blonde insisted.

"Guys," Shino interrupted. "Hinata…"

With the Leaf Shinobi looking on in disbelief, Hinata twitched and shifted. Her palms pressed down on the floor trembling with exertion, her feet slipping more than once as Hinata tried to get them under her. She faltered in silence several times before finally standing, looking like seconds from keeling over.

"What are you doing?" Neji demanded.

"Don't stop the match," Hinata mumbled to Hayate, her words slurring from a dislocated jaw. Hinata raised her head a little more, revealing the smile on her face. Smiling back, Naruto threw her a thumbs up.

"What the actual fuck?" Shikamaru mumbled under his breath.

"Neji. I'm sorry you feel the way you do, but you can't give up. We can change the Hyuuga, together."

Neji charged forward. "When will you understand!? You can't change anything you stupid child!"

"Neji! Stop the match is over!" commanded Hayate.

"Hinata!" Sakura cried in worry though she needn't have panicked. In a flash, all of the Konoha Sensei had stepped in to stop Neji, the curious looks at each other suggesting they'd simply had the same instinctual reaction rather than co-ordinated their movements.

Hayate and Kurenai mirrored each other, their fingers pressed lightly on the plate of Neji's Hitai-ate, while their bodies blocked Hinata from Neji's view. Kakashi and Itachi had grabbed one of Neji's arms each to prevent him moving, while Gai hand Neji's head in a hold.

"Neji, that's enough. The match is obviously yours and you promised me that you wouldn't lose your head over this family business," Gai said lowly while Neji's eyes tracked over each Jonin.

"Why are the others jumping in, this doesn't concern them," the boy snarled.

"Killing her won't make your case improve," Itachi promised.

"What do you know about anything?!" Neji spat, "Your clan lets you walk free!"

Itachi turned his head slowly to face Neji, the Sharingan burning into life. "You are a thousand years too early to try that attitude with me." Letting go of Neji's wrist, Itachi turned, stuffing his hands in his pockets and jumped back up to the viewing platform, his eyes a charcoal black by the time he got there.

The other Sensei moved to release Neji too while Hinata collapsed, falling hard in her knees with a choking cough. Kurenai was at her side immediately, Lee, Naruto and Shino rushing over too as Kurenai laid the girl out and tried to make it easier for her to breathe.

"Hey, you. Blonde idiot," Neji said, causing Naruto to look over. "You're the one who did this, don't forget that. Hinata wouldn't have been as hurt if she'd have stayed down the first time. Losers can't change."

"Neji that was too far!" protested Lee.

Rounding on his teammate, Neji shot acridly, "Shut up, Lee!"

Both Lee and Naruto gave Neji dark looks, but it was Naruto that reacted. "Oh yeah, punk?!" Before Naruto could move, Lee stepped in front on Naruto. "Eh, Bushy Brows."

"The fight is over. We are all going back up to the viewing platform," Lee said tersely, leaving no room for argument as he put a hand on Naruto's shoulder and lead him towards the stairs.

"You're just gonna take that from him, Lee?" Naruto growled.

"I know how you feel, Naruto. I do. But fighting needs to be done in matches. Don't do something that would jeopardise all the hard work you've put in up until now. I want to show Neji he's wrong too, that's why he needs to be left alone, because when I win my match, I'm one step closer to battling him."

Sagging a little, Naruto sighed, "Yeah I guess you're right."

Behind them, Hinata coughed again and started to jerk on the floor, causing everyone to pause and watch her again. From the entrance to the arena, medical ninja ran towards Hinata along with a woman with long brown hair hanging loose around her waist. She wore grey ninja trousers and purple arm warmers that matched her purple shirt. Crouching beside Hinata, the woman's hair moved enough to make out the clan symbol on the back of her shirt.

"That's an Uchiha fan," Shikamaru realised.

Itachi nodded. "Izumi."

"You know her?"

"Evidently."

"Can she help Hinata?" Ino asked.

Itachi sighed. "Probably, she's a medical ninja."

"How come she isn't wearing the same uniform the others were?" Choji wondered.

"I'm not sure," Itachi admitted. "But I know she can use medical ninjutsu, so it's possible she's of a higher rank than the other ninja we've seen."

Ino raised her eyebrow. "Medical ninjutsu?"

Itachi hummed. "Watch, do you see that oddly coloured chakra covering her hands? That's the chakra medical ninja use to heal people."

Kneeling beside Hinata, Izumi's hands hovered over the girl's heart, her eyes closed as she focused. Beside her, Kurenai glared at Neji who scoffed and turned his back on his cousin, shouldering past Lee as he went.

"The damage to her organs is extensive, particularly around her heart. Chuza, Haken, take her to the emergency room immediately," Izumi ordered the other medics with her, both of whom clung to a stretcher.

"Yes, Lady Izumi!" they barked, quickly and efficiently getting Hinata onto the stretcher and leaving the arena, Izumi following behind after a quick exchange with Kurenai.

Somehow, Lee had continued to keep Naruto moving, though the blonde's usual spunk was replaced with a dark anger rarely seen. "I'm gonna destroy you," Naruto swore, his eyes locked on Neji. The Hyuuga didn't even deign to look at Naruto, his eyes locked on the match screen, which was currently blank.

* * *

So, Hinata doesn't stammer here because when she's fighting Neji the two kinda just focus in on themselves, she knows Naruto's cheering for her, but Neji's the only one she's talking to, so at that moment, all her focus kind of goes on him, especially when she realises why he's so angry. And I wanted her to speak her feelings more than she does in the manga.


	17. Chapter 16: Broken Limits, Broken Bodies

So... This was a little over 9,000 words _pre-edit_. Apologies for this being out a little late. I was expecting to write about half as much tbh

Thank you so much to the new follows and favourites and those of you who review, I'm glad you're enjoying the ride.

* * *

"Bastard look at me!"

"Naruto, _leave it_," Kakashi ordered harshly.

"But-."

"Neji is strong, so what you need to do is show him you're strong too," he explained. "In the third exam, win. Win until you face him and then take him down. Don't make any more of a scene here than you already have. Don't forget, you're representing the village," he reminded, directing Naruto's attention to the foreign teams and Hokage. "We need to look united."

Naruto's shoulders slouched, the boy huffing, "Fuck that," he grumbled, looking over as another voice called out.

"Hey! Can I come watch the next match over here?"

Turning, the Leaf ninja watched as Kankuro walked over, easy smile on his face.

Looking over the arena to where the Sand team had been observing, Ino's gaze narrowed in on the red haired ninja, Gaara. His chakra hadn't seemed right from the moment she'd met him, but now it spiked maliciously. No wonder Kankuro had decided to distance himself. "Sure!" Ino replied with a bubbly expression.

"Talk about laying it on thick," Shikamaru sighed beside her.

Smiling back Kankuro turned from Ino to Naruto. "You're a real optimistic guy huh? I like that."

"You're creepy and that smile makes you look like a cat. I hate cats," Naruto replied flatly, causing Ino and Choji to laugh.

Kankuro's smile became a little tighter and forced, but held. "Yeah, well, I wanted to ask a question about that Neji guy," boy started, Naruto cutting him off as soon as Neji's name was mentioned.

"I'm gonna take him down!"

"Yeah, oddly enough, that wasn't what I was going to ask," Kankuro sighed. Leaning back to look at the other Konoha Genin, Kankuro pointed at the blonde. "Is he always like this?"

"Yep," nodded Choji.

"Mhmm," hummed Shikamaru.

"Always," agreed Ino.

"Regrettably," said Sakura with sagging shoulders.

Kakashi added, "We affectionately call him our Number One Knucklehead."

"Affectionately?" Kankuro repeated, eyebrows rising behind his Hitai-ate. There was no reply as Hayate's coughing drew the attention of the remaining spectators.

"Now that everyone is back in the viewing platform, we'll start the next match."

The board flickered into life once more. With two Sound ninja and the final ninja from the Sand still to fight Ino felt a flicker of worry, not for herself, but Choji and Sakura. The people fighting here meant business and she couldn't help the niggling feeling the two would be better off fighting each other.

_Rock Lee vs Gaara_

Cheering erupted from the two green blurs that were Gai and Lee, their enthusiasm drowning out Kankuro's words from being heard by the majority of the group.

"I hope that you've got more ninja with medical ninjutsu experience, because Gaara is going to a lot worse than Neji did to his opponent."

Ino didn't miss the words though, and even though she couldn't say she liked Lee, her heart leapt into her throat.

"Stop cheering and get down here already," Gaara growled, glaring up at Lee from a whirl of sand Gaara had used to move himself to the arena.

"Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes!" Lee cried, kicking and punching the air, clearly oblivious to Gaara's foul mood.

"Knock 'em dead, Lee!" Gai encouraged. Leaning in conspiritorially, he added, "Oh, and one more thing. I think that gourd is suspicious."

"I see, I shall make a note!" Lee declared, pulling out a notepad.

"Is… are they serious?" asked Kankuro.

Sakura nodded, "Sadly."

"I'm trying not to make this sound offensive, but I'm really beginning to question the sanity of your ninja and the economic effect that could have," Kankuro mumbled.

Ignoring the boy, Lee vaulted over the railing, grinning at Gaara. "I am Rock Lee, and I am very excited to battle you."

Gaara scoffed. "Try not to die too quickly."

A pop echoed through the arena. "Eh, what was that?" Naruto asked looking around.

"Gaara's popped his gourd," Shikamaru informed, pointing to Lee who held the cork in his hand.

"Ah.. so it _is_ suspicious," Naruto hummed, cupping his chin.

Ino's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. "Naruto… Don't ever become a Jonin."

"Or Hokage," muttered Choji. "I can hear the mission requests now. 'Kakashi-sensei's mask is suspicious, I need you, Team 10, to investigate underneath the underneath'."

"Kaka-sensei's mask _is _suspicious," Naruto argued.

"I'd also refuse the mission," Itachi added under his breath.

Naruto snapped his attention to Itachi. "Eh? Why?"

"Because," Itachi began, closing the distance between him and Kakashi to within arm's reach. Eyes on Naruto, Itachi's hand shot out for Kakashi's mask only for the older Jonin to duck low out of the way. A swipe down and Kakashi stood up as he stepped backwards, avoiding Itachi's hand again. "It's way too much effort and Kakashi's really determined."

"Kakashi-_sensei_," Kakashi stressed, smacking Itachi's hand out of his face as the teen went for a third grab. "Stop that."

"All of you could do with not messing around here," Gai said, smiling down at Lee. "It's my prized pupil's time to shine."

The gourd stopper disintegrated into a small plume of sand that floated in the air, causing Lee to startle, before snapping like a whip towards Lee's face.

Jumping back to dodge, the sand caught Lee's cheek leaving a tiny cut in its wake. Gritting his teeth, Lee took a leap to the side before charging in at Gaara, attempting a roundhouse only for a thicker tendril of sand to spew out of Gaara's gourd and block the blow. From the other side, a second wave of sand rose up and smacked Lee in the stomach, sending him flying backward.

"He's not even using his hands, that's an impressive jutsu," Itachi praised.

"H-how is he controlling all that sand?" Sakura balked.

Shikamaru answered her, "Chakra probably, I'd guess it's possible the gourd itself is made of sand too, so he could use it if he really needed, but there can't be more than… maybe twenty-five or thirty litres of sand? So Gaara has limited ammo."

"That all depends on how much chakra it takes to move and his proficiency level," Itachi remarked, watching as Rock Lee was on the move again, darting around Gaara, kicking and punching the boy at different angles to the same effect. Gaara wasn't even turning to face blows that struck from behind.

"The sand protects Gaara," Kankuro stated. "It doesn't matter if Gaara wants it or not, the sand doesn't let people near him."

Itachi scoffed. "I doubt that. There's something more to it than sentient sand."

Kankuro shrugged, "Whatever, all the same, physical attacks are useless. That Lee guy would need a very strong jutsu to just get past the sand, nevermind actually hitting Gaara."

"That won't happen," Kakashi put in. Down below Lee was still trying basic taijutsu kata, albeit at a much faster speed than Ino or her teammates could pull off.

Kankuro smirked, "Then this match is over, can't beat what you can't hit. And Gaara hasn't been injured. Ever."

Ino's brows furrowed. "But, what, how? There must be some way of hurting him."

"Not that we know. Like I said, physical attacks certainly don't work," Kankuro shrugged, frowning as Lee successfully dodged a series of hands formed from sand attempting to grab his ankles. Jumping high to get out of Gaara's range, probably to think of a plan, Lee landed on the giant hand sign in front of the match selection board. "Clever idea, but Gaara can reach up there if he has to."

"Hmm, Gaara must be using all of the sand in the gourd right now, since no more has appeared," Itachi mused. "And the chakra in it is keeping the sand pliable and in an almost liquid state, it'll be the grains themselves that cut."

"Hey, what's your relationship to this Gaara guy?" Shikamaru asked Kankuro, Ino almost able to hear the gears in Shikamaru's head turning. "None of you have clan names, I'm thinking that's not a coincidence."

"We're siblings, Gaara's the youngest," Kankuro revealed, ignoring the remark about his lack of clan name.

"In that case, it's possible Gaara is using wind style too," Shikamaru reasoned. "Elemental affinity can travel in families if the Uchiha's affinity for fire style is anything to go off."

Kankuro smiled, "Maybe so, I can't say I've asked either way, our interests lie in different areas," the boy deflected, gesturing to his puppet.

"You don't train together?" Choji asked, surprised.

"Sometimes."

"I wonder what Lee's speciality is?" Ino hummed, looking between the two still fighters. "Neji had the Byakugan, and I guess Tenten had her weapons…"

"Maybe Lee can summon fighting turtles like Gai-sensei?" suggested Sakura.

"What, like… little turtles?" asked Choji.

"No, like a big one," Sakura returned with a frown. "It can stomp on the sand or something."

"Unlikely," Gai cut in. "You see, Lee has no talent when it comes to genjutsu or ninjutsu, all he has it taijutsu. In fact, all of my team rely on their brutal taijutsu offense to complete missions!"

"Why does he sound proud of that?" Ino sneered.

"Because he is. It's quite a feat to graduate the academy with only one of the fundamentals. Lee is one of a rare breed, and the same as his Sensei," Itachi explained.

"'The same as his Sensei'… are you saying Gai-sensei can't do ninjutsu or genjutsu either?" Ino asked, utterly perplexed.

"That's right!" Gai said with a winning grin. "I can't perform more than a handful of jutsu but I can still compete and revel in that Kakashi here is my eternal rival!" Said 'eternal rival' didn't look nearly as enthralled as Gai. "Now, Lee!" Gai called, drawing the attention of both fighters. "Take them off!"

"No, please, whatever it is, keep it on," Ino rattled off, looking haunted. Lee wasn't wearing much and she had no desire to see what was under his jumpsuit.

"B-but Gai-sensei, you said I should only do so when protecting many precious people!" Lee argued.

"And now I'm saying just this once, there's an exception to that rule," Gai pressed. "To get past that sand, you need speed. Take. Them. Off!"

Lee looked gleeful. Ino felt about to hurl. Choji took a step away from Gai who was practically glowing with some unholy Energy of Youth.

Thankfully the object in question turned out to be under Lee's legwarmers. "Training weights?" Kankuro laughed. "What the hell do you think _those_ will do?"

"I mean, it's true he'll be a _little_ faster without-eep," Shikamaru cut himself off with an unintended squeak, his eyes bugging out at the clouds of dust Lee's weights had caused and the small craters they now sat in.

"Ah, that is so much better!" Lee said to himself, stretching his legs one at a time.

Choji rounded on Itachi. "Sensei, never _ever_ make us wear weights like that."

"Don't worry, I won't," Itachi mumbled, perturbed. His eyebrow twitched, a look of absolute stupefaction haunting his face. "How much did those things weigh?" he breathed.

"No no no no no! You have to swear!" Choji insisted, pulling on Itachi's sleeve. "I don't want to be tortured!"

"Lee!" Gai called, raising his finger to the sky like an idol. "GO!"

The difference was incomprehensible. Lee was there one instant and gone the next reappearing behind Gaara, bits of cracked roof tile dropping from the ceiling to plot out Lee's route. Before, Lee's attacks couldn't get within two feet of Gaara, now each punch and kick was less than a hand span from Gaara's body. Lee shot around Gaara like a bullet, and while Ino couldn't follow his movements she could see the protective bursts of Gaara's sand getting nearer and nearer to Gaara's body, until finally Lee flipped over Gaara following a kick, swinging his other leg down right on Gaara's head.

Using his momentum to skid across the floor, Lee looked up at Gaara, smirking. A dark gash from Lee's sandal marred Gaara's cheek.

"Impossible!" Kankuro barked.

"What?!" Choji's eyes were the size of saucers. Grabbing Itachi with both hands he started rattling the Sensei. "I've changed my mind. Hit me up with the weights. I wanna go fast!"

"Hehe, well you can join my special regime later," Gai purred. "Because Lee can't use genjutsu or ninjutsu, he put all his focus into taijutsu. Strength training, endurance, weights, he put everything into getting his physical traits to superhuman levels. Other ninja can temporarily get to his level though careful chakra control, they can't stand up to Lee continually though. Lee won't lose here, I'm sure of it." Raising his voice to Lee, Gai cried. "Show him the Power of Youth, Lee!"

"Right, Gai-sensei!"

"H-how is he still not at full speed?" Ino balked. Lee had somehow gained speed and it was obvious Gaara was struggling to keep track of the Konoha ninja too, the redhead looking completely the wrong way, sand tendrils flared but too slow to stop Lee.

"Take this!" Lee roared, punching Gaara with all his might. Gaara was sent flying, his sand travelling with him and catching his fall. As Gaara stood, the atmosphere seemed to darken, the boy's sand arching around him and writhing demonically.

"This is bad. This is very very bad," Kankuro muttered beside the group of Konoha ninja, his hand gripping the railing tight.

"Haha, Gaara's shaking like a leaf. Lee's kicking his butt, I bet his gonna cry," laughed Naruto.

Instead, it was Gaara who was laughing. The sound was ugly, grating on the ears like gravel on skin. Under the cover of his sand, Gaara's bloodlust flared and a layer of sand that had been covering his skin began to loosen and join the main body of the sand, leaving Gaara once again injury free.

"W-what is that?" Ino asked Kankuro.

"Gaara's second level of defence, his Ultimate Defence. It uses more chakra than the basic sand movements, but it's basically an armoured layer of skin." Kankuro swallowed. "Hey, your guy is looking tired, maybe you should pull him out before Gaara really does kill him."

"That sand looks really creepy right now," Shikamaru agreed, watching the sand wrap around Gaara, its texture changing to match Gaara's form. Beside him, Choji quaked, clinging onto Itachi who looked the picture of calm, though there was something lurking in his dark eyes that suggested he wasn't completely at ease.

"All out energy?" Gaara mocked Lee. "At least entertain me before I kill you."

"Not at all, I just needed a moment to think," Lee replied easily, reaching for the bandages covering his arms and unravelling them a little so he had long tails trailing from both arms. Keeping out of Gaara's immediate range, Lee bounded around Gaara in circles, looking for an opening.

"One of the first pillars of defence is to become an immoveable object," Itachi noted. "If that sand focuses on defence, it's possible it's making Gaara heavier. If he's planning on using the lotus technique, Lee would be better off trying to separate Lee from that gourd first."

"To move the sand away?" Gai guessed. "Not strictly necessary, Lee has proven he's faster than the sand, and really, how much heavier than normal can a guy covered in sand be? Lee's able to use the lotus technique on men more than twice his size."

The answer was a significant amount. When Lee finally acted, performing the same upward kick Sasuke had in the first match, it took multiple strikes to keep Gaara airborne, the boy's sand trailing after he and Lee like grasping tentacles.

"Is he trying to break the sand armour off?" Kankuro wondered.

Kakashi shook his head. "This technique requires a set amount of distance from the ground to create the correct impact."

Wrapping Gaara in his bandages before the sand reached them, Lee gripped the redhead and sent them into a spin towards the ground, their combined weight adding to the speed of their descent. "Primary Lotus!"

"Yeah! Get'em, Lee!" Sakura cheered, while others marvelled at the move's destruction. Gaara lay in a heap amongst the cracked floor tiles unmoving, his sand falling to the floor and stilling.

"Did he win?" Choji murmured.

Ino shook her head, "That's impossible. There's no way the sand didn't protect Gaara there." His killing intent hadn't disappeared at all, the bone-chilling feeling still dancing over Ino's spine. Turning her gaze from Gaara to Lee, she cursed. "Lee looks exhausted." The boy had landed safely from the lotus, but was shaking and panted heavily, not rising from his crouch.

The Gaara lying among the debris cracked, sand falling from his body as it lost colour, then density, the whole head caving in to reveal nothing but sand.

Itachi narrowed his eyes. "Sand Clone."

"But when? And where's the real one?" asked Gai.

"You and Lee both closed your eyes at the apex of the kicks," Kakashi explained. "He switched out then."

"The sand!" Shikamaru cried, "Lee! Behind you!"

Gaara's awful laughter echoed around the room again as Lee turned to face the other boy, looking like something out of a nightmare. Sand exploded from behind Gaara and headed towards Lee, smacking him into the arena wall and going in for a second attack, the sand shaped like spikes. Dazed, Lee could barely raise his hands to block in time.

"Gaara's toying with him," Kankuro realised.

Ino cringed seeing Gaara lick his lips predatorily. "Yeah, and while Lee made it out of that one, I don't think he has any stamina left to keep fighting."

"But Lee was okay before the lotus," argued Choji.

"These big moves, they're like if we use our jutsu," Shikamaru explained. "He can run circles around us sure, but he's only human. High impact techniques like that with little to no chakra to compensate means he's probably using up a tonne of energy pulling them off."

"I… am not done yet," Lee vowed, wobbling a little as he pushed to his feet. He took another hit from the sand, but was able to dodge the worst of it. Mouth set in a determined line, Lee soldiered through the blows he couldn't dodge and pushed forward, crying out loudly as he slipped behind Gaara again, "Take this!"

Gaara brushed him off with a burst of sand. "Haven't you got _anything_ else? You one-trick pony."

"There is one thing you should know about Konoha's lotus. It always blooms twice," Lee said, getting to his feet again and taking up his stance.

"I don't give a shit about your flowers."

"He should. Lee's about to become a monster," Itachi noted the statement about lotus's blooming making more sense to ihm than it did Ino.

"Luckily for Gaara, he already is one," muttered Kankuro acidly.

"Gai… you didn't," Kakashi implored. "That kid… he's going to die. Did you teach him about the Eight Gates?"

"I did, and he's going to open them. I fully respect that decision," Gai told Kakashi.

"Are you insane?! After what happened to Dai?" Kakashi balked.

Gai's eyes narrowed and for the first time, Gai sounded genuinely angry. "You don't know a damn thing about him or Lee, so shut your mouth, Kakashi."

"What's the Dai Eight Gate?" asked Naruto innocently.

"Dai is a person, who it isn't my place to talk about," Itachi said softly. "As for the Eight Gates, they're… Doors in the chakra network for lack of better wording. Each gate makes chakra flow more strongly throughout the body. Even for someone not talented in genjutsu or ninjutsu, this is very helpful, but it comes at a cost. Those gates aren't meant to be opened. They're regulators to protect the body against chakra-based damage, like over-using food pills for example."

"What kind of damage can they do?"

"Well, let me put it this way, the last gate's name is the Death Gate for a reason."

"E-eh? But then why would you do it all?!" Naruto flapped.

"Because with each open get your power grows exponentially," Gai said. "The first gate, the Initial Gate in the brain releases the brain's limiter on your muscles, allowing you to hit harder, the second gate, the Heal Gate forcibly raises stamina. Other gates have similar abilities allowing for more intense taijutsu techniques linked to them."

"So… how many can Lee open?"

"Five." Gai smiled confidently. "Here he goes."

Looking down at Lee, the boy's skin began to darken, the blood pumping around his body giving his skin a red tone as chakra visibly began to roll off of Lee. Veins popped across his skin with the strain his body was enduring, his pupils fading, or perhaps simply moving so fast Ino couldn't see them.

"He's opened up the Life Gate and Pain Gate," Kakashi observed eyes wide as he watched the young ninja.

"He's going to be much faster and stronger now," Itachi noted.

Kankuro bit his lip. "Gaara…"

Lee shot forward to Gaara cracking the tiles under his feet, and causing huge chunks of debris to fly towards the viewing platform from the pressure from each of Lee's steps. Hayate darted back to avoid the rubble, landing on the stone hands which had survived most of the damage.

Even in his Ultimate Defence, or perhaps because of it, Gaara couldn't block Lee's kick and was sent high into the air. Lee's movement was completely beyond Ino's ability to track now, all she was able to see were the explosions of force destroying more of the arena and bouncing Gaara around like a ping pong ball.

"Lee… he's insane," Ino mumbled in awe, staring up at Gaara whose defensive sand was cracking, the boy's regular sand chasing after him desperately.

"Is he gonna kill Gaara?" Choji wondered looking to Itachi. "Sensei…" Itachi bit his lip, dark eyes focused on the sky.

"Can you follow them without your Sharingan?" Shikamaru asked, his entire body tensed.

"Not completely, but I can see one thing plain as day. Lee's slowing down."

"So then… it'll be over soon?" Kankuro sounded hopeful. "I don't think Gaara can take any more…"

"It's a question of who can endure more. This move is destructive and designed to be a finisher," Gai said his tone resolute. "He's opening the fifth gate."

Ino spoke up hesitantly, "What… what happens if Lee doesn't finish Gaara?"

"Gaara will definitely kill him," Kankuro replied darkly.

"Raaaah!" She still couldn't see it, but Ino could hear Lee's cry from above as his attacks increased and he landed a blow that sent Gaara towards the ground, only for both parties to freeze in place for a second, Lee's bandage connecting his arm to Gaara's torso.

"H-how does Gaara still have sand on!?" Ino shouted.

Shikamaru pointed to Lee. "A better question is what's that sand behind Lee going to do?"

"Nothing most likely, it can't keep up," Itachi said tightly. "Lee's bleeding."

Ino watched as with another roar Lee yanked Gaara towards him, lining up Gaara's bound middle with Lee's foot and palm. "That's got to have hurt." If not that, then the ricochet to the ground _had_ to have broken something. Turning to Itachi intending to ask where Lee was bleeding from, she paused, watching Itachi's eyes gain the barest hints of red before dulling back to their usual charcoal. Was he actively _repressing_ the Sharingan? Why?

The two fighters hit the ground. Lee skidded away from Gaara with a cry of pain that lanced through Ino's ears, blood coating one knuckle and the edge of one leg warmer. The boy twitched but made no move to stand while Gaara was completely obscured by a cloud of dust.

"You were right about the gourd being made of sand," Itachi told Shikamaru, eyes firmly on the slowly clearing dust. "That must have been his last defence, and if Gaara has any strength left, this match is his. Lee will be completely defenceless."

"No, no way, Gaara has to be completely out of it too," Naruto insisted.

"You're wrong, look." Kankuro pointed into the cloud where enough of Gaara could be seen that there could be no doubt. While there was no gourd, Gaara had been protected by sand. Sand he was now manipulating with a shaking hand towards Lee. The redhead's chakra had gone from a beast on the hunt to a desperate thing wanting to eliminate a threat.

Grunting in pain, Lee struggled to all fours and tried to drag himself out of range, but it was too late. Sand enveloped his left arm and leg, latching on tight. Wobbling onto his right leg, Lee tried to pull himself free to no avail.

But the sand didn't climb any further. Was Gaara was at his chakra limit? "Sand Coffin," the boy ground out, closing his fist tightly, the sand copying the motion and crushing Lee's limbs.

Lee let out a blood curdling scream, losing his footing and collapsing head first into the ground. The sand didn't let up. Seemingly spurred on by this strike a hand of sand formed and snaked towards Lee's head.

Closing her eyes, Ino's hands sought out Shikamaru and Itachi to ground her. Both hands were clammy but while Shikamaru's hand squeezed hers gently, Itachi's remained still but for soft trembling.

"Ino, he's okay," Shikamaru whispered softly. "Gai-sensei's there."

Worrying her lip, Ino opened her eyes to see Gai standing protectively in front of Lee, Gaara's sand attack dismissed with a flick of his arm. His chakra was sure and warm, reminding Ino of her father.

"Wh-why? Why did you protect him?" Gaara asked voice thick with confusion.

Gai lowered his arm. "Lee is my precious student. It's a Jonin Sensei's responsibility to keep our students safe."

"Why is he asking that? Has no one cared for Gaara?" Naruto asked softly.

Kankuro looked away. "Gaara has always been strong, he's never needed anyone to save him, and only surrounds himself with people who also don't need saving."

"That isn't what I asked," Naruto growled, his voice low. Ignoring him, Kankuro started to walk back towards the stairs. Gaara too was somehow on his feet and walking away, sand trailing sluggishly behind and pulling itself into gourd form.

"Winner, Gaara!" Hayate declared.

There was more commotion down in the arena, but Ino looked away from it as she felt Itachi pull his hand away from hers. Turning to the Sensei, she saw him trying to hide his face with his hair, body deathly still.

"Itachi-sensei?" she asked softly, tilting her head to look under Itachi's hair. His Sharingan was active and swirling, and even when he met her gaze he remained silent. His Sharingan faded and Itachi raised his head to look past her to the arena and match board.

* * *

Lee was taken by medical ninja and after checking the integrity of the floor, which was damaged but still load baring, Hayate called for the next match to be selected.

_Haruno Sakura vs Yamanaka Ino_

Ino stared at the screen. No. No that couldn't be right. That wasn't who she wanted to fight.

"Ino, go," Choji encouraged softly.

She turned to him, "But Cho-!" At seeing Choji's sad smile, Ino cut herself off.

"Sakura, she's your friend right?" he said. "I get it, you don't want to hurt your friend, but after seeing her fight in the forest and knowing the next stuff is one-on-one… I think this is best. You can let her down gently."

Ino swallowed, her gaze drifting unwillingly drifting over to Gaara. The boy wasn't even scratched after all that Lee did.

"Yamanaka Ino, are you participating or do you quit?" Hayate asked. Looking at the invigilator, Sakura was already down in the arena waiting.

"I'm coming!" Ino called, vaulting the rail and landing on the floor in a crouch. Her heart hammered in her chest and Ino sucked on her lip not sure what to even say to Sakura, who still had scabs on her arms from where the kunai had stabbed her in the forest.

Reaching behind her, Sakura untied her hitai-ate and pulled it from her hair before her. "Get it together, Ino. This is a fight among Shinobi and I won't hold back," she said firmly, shifting the headband to sit on her forehead, tying it securely.

She might be sure of herself, and one of the best civilian Shinobi in their class, but she had no ninjutsu in her repertoire that wasn't taught at the academy. Sakura was brave, probably braver than Ino, but she was stupid.

"Also, I'm not letting you get near Sasuke," Sakura added matter-of-factly.

Startled that Sakura would bring that up now of all times, Ino balked, "What?!"

"You're not even his type, Pig. And I'm not the weak, needy girl you used to help when we were kids. I've surpassed you."

"W-who do you think you're talking to, Forehead!?" Ino shouted, "Don't confuse bravery with stupidity. And how dare you pull that attitude with me!" The reason Sakura tied her hair back with her headband instead of wearing it properly on her forehead up until now was because Ino had shown her how to do it with a ribbon when they were just starting the academy.

Sakura had often been bullied for her massive forehead, and assuming the girl was just shy because she didn't come from a ninja clan, but was at the ninja academy, Ino had gone over to talk to her. Sakura's pink hair looked so much like the flowers of her namesake that Ino had wondered if it was natural or if she was blonde like Ino and her parents coloured it.

Little Sakura had recoiled as though Ino was going to hit her the first time she approached. Gently she'd pushed Sakura's hair back from her eyes. "This is really soft, and a pretty colour. I'm Ino, what's your name?"

"S-Sakura."

"Named after your hair huh? What're you crying about?" Ino had asked, sitting next to Sakura.

Pulling back from Ino, Sakura had clamped her hands over her fringe and pressed it to her head before ducking it into her knees.

"Ah. Big forehead. You know, that's meant to mean you've got a big brain in there," Ino had told Sakura gently, poking Sakura's head. "My name means boar, so some of the girls try insulting me with it, but there's nothing I can do about it, it's my name and it's a name that travels down in my family, so there's no way of changing it. So I don't try to be super girly to detract from it, like you shouldn't hide your forehead. By paying it attention and trying to hide it, they know it's sore spot for you and that talking about it will upset you."

"You… don't like your name?" Sakura had squeaked.

Ino had chuckled, "Haha, nope. It sucks. Inosuke, Inoichi, Inomasa, Inohara. So many Inos and my parents didn't even write it with a different character or try to add to it to make it less… boarish. I kinda hate it," she'd finished, slumping head on her knees. Brightening, Ino had pulled out a ribbon. "Oh, but hey, let's fix your hair and show off how comfortable you are with your forehead. You can come meet my friends and we can pair up in class if you're still nervous."

"Wh-what?!" Sakura had ducked her head, but Ino had persisted, styling Sakura's hair and dragging her off to meet her friends. At the end of the day, as they were leaving the academy and heading home, Sakura had called out. "I-Ino! Why… did you give me that ribbon?"

Stopping and turning to Sakura, Ino had smiled softly. "My family owns a flower shop, and so I kinda see people like flowers. To me, you're a bud. I… I thought it would be a shame to see you die on the vine, especially when everyone loves watching the cherry blossoms bloom."

Back then, times had been easier, safer. But now this exam was asking them to be willing to sacrifice life to be a ninja. And once again, Sakura was barely blossoming.

Sakura was so sure their rivalry over Sasuke would keep them competing, but Ino had honestly forgotten all about Sasuke since graduating until seeing him at the exams. Sasuke was on Sakura's team, a thing the girl had boasted about almost every time they had crossed paths. But Ino had been training with her Sensei three days a week, working in the flower shop and then training with her father and going on missions on top of all that. There hadn't really been time for boys. And the time she'd spent not being obsessed with Sasuke had gone into actually being nice to the guys on her team and understanding them. Choji was an even bigger softy than Sakura, insecure about his looks and hated fighting, hiding behind bad habits and Shikamaru. Shikamaru for all his brains had very little incentive to use them, unless his friends would get hurt if he didn't outsmart someone. She was even starting to understand Itachi-sensei; he liked quiet and being alone because he struggled to fall out of active ninja mode and was slow to trust. But was a sucker for sweets and a total history nerd.

"Ino, do you remember what I said when I gave your ribbon back?" Sakura asked, taking up a fighting stance.

Ino nodded, "You said you wouldn't wear it properly until you felt worthy of standing in front of me as a Shinobi of Konoha." And Ino had agreed to do the same.

Reaching for her own hitai-ate, Ino removed it from her waist and tied it around her forehead. "You know that now we've done this, there's no going easy on each other right?" she asked, crouching and reading herself for attack.

Sakura sprang forward, making two clones.

"This isn't the academy!" Ino shot, freezing in place instead of dodging or pulling a weapon. Sakura hadn't even made it hard to spot the real her by switching with a clone, she'd stayed in the middle. It was so stupefying that Ino completely neglected to move, receiving a punch to the face for her falter.

"I know, Pig! And you just said we weren't going easy on each other, I know you can do better than this, Ino!" Sakura accused, glaring at Ino who was sprawled out on the floor.

Picking herself up, Ino wiped a small dribble of blood from her mouth, her face set in determination.

"WOOOO! Look at Sakura go!" cheered Naruto from the viewing platform.

"This might be a good match up, Sakura has the best chakra control in the academy, probably among all of you rookies, and her knowledge of the fundamentals is unshakeable," noted Kakashi.

"Eh, better than me?!" squawked Naruto.

Kakashi gave him a questioning look, "Uh, yeah. Don't you remember how Sakura could climb the tree first time? She has surpassed both you and Sasuke in the art of sending chakra around her body precisely to wherever she desires it."

Ignoring the commentary on how amazing Sakura apparently was, Ino charged forward, lining up a punch, which Sakura met with one of her own, both girls blocking the blows aimed at them with their free hand. They struggled in place a moment before jumping apart and flinging a single shuriken at each other, the metal meeting in the middle and ricocheting away.

They kept at it, exchanging blows and dodging almost like a mirror match. Sakura made to kick, Ino copied. Ino threw a punch, Sakura was ready to meet her with the same one. While it was a testament to their endurance that they both managed to keep such ferocity going for ten minutes, it didn't look like they were about to finish either.

"They… are gonna just keep going forever?" Choji asked, staring at Ino in worry.

Itachi's lips dipped in as close to a frown as he got in public.

"This isn't right. Sakura's better than I thought, but Ino shouldn't be struggling," Shikamaru commented.

"What are you talking about?" Naruto accused. "Sakura's awesome, she's gonna kick Ino's butt! WOAH!" Naruto span back around as the now familiar sound of skin slapping into skin rang around the arena. Ino and Sakura had once again sent each other flying with a punch to the jaw, each kunoichi skidding across the ground and slowly pulling themselves to a sitting position, Hayate looking awkwardly between them.

"You can't be my equal! It's unthinkable!" Ino cried, hating herself for not giving this fight her all like Sakura clearly was. She was scuffed up and breathing hard with exertion, but by no means fully tired out. Itachi's training sessions were longer than this and more intensive. Sakura _was_ good though, and this fight was one of the bigger workouts she'd had since returning from Bakugakure.

"Hmph, of course not," goaded Sakura. "The magnitude of your long, flowing hair and superficial appearances is peerless."

"How dare you make fun of me! That's too far!"

"INO! Get a grip!" Itachi barked smacking his hand on the rail. The two girls froze in place and turned to Itachi.

"S-Sensei never shouts…" Ino mumbled, looking up into Itachi's dark eyes. He also very rarely scolded his students, certainly not as harshly as now.

"What the hell are you doing?" Itachi demanded of her. "You and I both know you're better than this." Sighing, he said softer, "I know you think you're doing her a kindness by making Sakura think this fight is even and that she's earned this. But she hasn't. Sakura deserves your best, because if she wins here, she has to fight the people who have already won. Do you think they'll use kid gloves and let Sakura down gently, or let her win? They won't."

Ino bit her lip. Gaara. She could still hear Lee's screaming in her head. Gaara would kill Sakura. Naruto might at least be kind to her, but Neji would probably kill her too, even Shikamaru would just knock her out without preamble. Itachi was right, Sakura did deserve better.

"H-hai," she mumbled, turning slowly to Sakura with hunched shoulders.

Behind her, she could hear Choji and Shikamaru berating Itachi. "What was that? You were meant to encourage her, not knock the fight out of her!" Choji said. "What a drag. You could have tried that ten minutes ago, it would have saved a lot of time," Shikamaru griped.

"What's the matter, Pig?" Sakura taunted, "Need your Sensei to stop the match and kiss your boo-boos?"

Ino didn't reply her mouth set in a hard line as she removed a handful of shuriken and two kunai from her weapon pouches. Throwing the shuriken in sequence, Ino waited for Sakura to throw her own before flicking her kunai out, redirecting the deflected shuriken back at Sakura and charging forward as Sakura hurriedly dealt with the second projectile attack. She threw a punch and fell to the side away from Sakura's replying fist, cartwheeling around Sakura and taking the chance to kick the overbalanced girl in the face along the way.

"Argh!" Letting Sakura fall to the ground, Ino straightened and waited for Sakura to recover.

"Yield Sakura. This doesn't have to go on." While Ino's tone was flat, there was sadness and an edge of begging to the look in Ino's blue eyes.

"You… you were still going easy on me," Sakura frowned pushing up to her feet.

"Nice combo, Ino didn't take a hit that time," Kakashi noted.

"So… she really was holding back?" asked Naruto.

"CHAAAAA!" Sakura roared, charging chakra to her feet and leaping towards Ino, who took the hit, spinning in the air before catching herself. While she'd been looking away, Sakura had made more clones and was charging in again. "Take. Me. Seriously!" Sakura growled, throwing blow after blow at Ino, the blonde completely on defensive, blocking and dodging, constantly moving back to try find an opening in Sakura's attacks.

Unable to stop a kick that took Ino off guard, she cried out in pain as Sakura's leg connected with her previous hip injury from the forest, pain racking her body and freezing her in place as Sakura followed up with a punch to the face that left her head ringing.

Curled up on the floor, she could tell Sakura was close from her heavy panting, not that she could do much about it. Gritting her teeth, she looked around and found Sakura, kicking out hard to send the girl back a bit.

Ino got to her feet and wobbled, nearly slipping to the floor again. Seeing Hayate looking between her and Sakura from her peripherals, Ino pulled her hands together to start weaving signs. "It's not over yet."

Scrambling to her feet, Sakura crouched, ready to dodge an attack, only, one wasn't coming. For the moment anyway.

"Hey, Kaka-sensei, what jutsu is that?" asked Naruto innocently.

"T-that's genjutsu!" Kurenai said, startled, staring down at the girls.

Sakura smacked her hands into the ram seal. "Genjutsu huh? Kai!"

"Yeah, about that, Sakura, it's not for you," Ino mumbled, her head no longer throbbing, her side no longer screaming, even the injuries Sakura had dealt over the fight didn't bother her. Charging forward before Sakura put two and two together, Ino hit her hard, sending Sakura flying. She raced after the girl with a burst of chakra, landing on the wall Sakura was heading towards hard enough to crack the stone and kicked Sakura in the stomach.

"She's done too much," muttered Itachi, his eyes widening.

"How does she know that jutsu?" Kurenai demanded of Itachi, "That's high level genjutsu someone as inexperienced as her shouldn't be using!"

"I don't get it, what's she done wrong?" Naruto asked.

"That… That's the painkilling genjutsu you used on me on our mission," Choji realised, watching Ino.

Itachi nodded. "Yes, but she's laid it on thick, her body can't tell how much pressure to apply when moving, so she's just as likely to break her own bones as Sakura's."

"Well, hopefully Hayate-sensei calls it now, I don't think Sakura's getting up," Shikamaru said, watching Ino stand tall beside a downed Sakura, the pinkette's head bleeding sluggishly.

"S-SAKURA!" Naruto cried.

Hayate crouched beside Sakura and checked her pulse. "Alive, but definitely knocked out. Um, Yamanaka Ino is the winner."

Kakashi jumped down to retrieve Sakura, double checking to see how bad her injuries were. "A couple of broken bones and a bad head bump. Not as bad as I was expecting to be honest."

"I didn't want to hurt her," Ino mumbled, looking at the ground. A pair of sandals came into view and she knew without looking it was Itachi. "Sensei…"

"Sometimes you have to hurt your friends to protect them," he told her softly. "Though I disagree with your method."

"How far would you go to stop your friend from doing something dangerous?" she asked eyes on Sakura.

"I wouldn't be able to stop him, my friend is stronger than me," Itachi replied simply. "I'd get neck deep in the same kind of trouble. But if he's having a bad day and I had the advantage; I'd break both of his legs and drag him home." Ino startled and looked up at him, Itachi's hand shooting out to catch her head. "You shouldn't move quickly with how heavy you applied that genjutsu. I'm going to release it now, try to stay awake; you've hurt your head a lot in the last fifteen minutes." Ino opened her mouth to reply but all that came out was a long cry of pain as Itachi broke the genjutsu. Losing her footing, Ino pitched forward into Itachi.

"Looks like a broken ankle, on top of the other things," Kakashi noted as he looked at Ino, Sakura limp in his arms.

"Left… leg," Ino informed, unable to prevent Itachi from putting his arm under her knees and scooping her into his arms too. Both Jonin headed to the stairs with their charges. "I'm sorry, Itachi-sensei," Ino mumbled softly.

"It's fine, so long as you promise not to be so reckless again anytime soon," Itachi replied. "I never taught you that jutsu for a reason. How did you learn it?"

"I saw you weaving the signs when we were in the hotel room," Ino replied as they passed Kurenai.

"And you remembered them?" Itachi said, his voice rising the barest amount.

"Yeah. I've always been good at memorising."

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised," Itachi noted, "You are incredibly knowledgeable about flowers after all. It would make sense you can remember many other things."

"Dad stressed it since sometimes with Mind Transfer you have to return to your body before being able to hand information on. It helped in exams," Ino shrugged, gritting her teeth as Itachi shifted to let her stand, Shikamaru appearing at her left and pulling her arm around his shoulders to ease the weight off of her hurt leg.

"I think you broke some fingers there, Ino," he said, looking at the swollen digits.

"You can go down to the medical bay after the last match," Itachi promised, looking to the screen as the next pair was selected.

"Well, it's not like we don't know who's left," Choji commented.

Shikamaru nodded, "Two Sound ninja, Shino and Choji."

"Either way, it sounds like I'll get a rematch from the forest," said Choji.

"Do you think you can take them this time?" Ino asked, looking to the screen too.

_Abumi Zaku vs Aburame Shino_

Choji grimaced. "Dosu'll be a pain. I probably can't win either, I'd have preferred the guy with the broken arms."

"In that case, let's strategize rather than watching," Shikamaru suggested. "Sensei, you can keep an eye on this match for us right?"

"Why would I do that?" Itachi asked.

"There's a reason you Sensei are allowed here when you weren't present for other portions of the exams. We're allowed to be coached from this point on, and these fights are spectateable because we're meant to be watching and assessing our opponents for when we fight them in the third exam," Shikamaru theorized. "Which means information on the winner of this battle will be needed, and that's also why you didn't take Ino to the medical bay immediately. But if we want to be the only team going forward, then we have to sacrifice intel to help Choji come up with a plan of winning."

"All very good points," Itachi nodded. "Fine, I'll do your dirty work on one condition."

"Condition?"

"Yes. In the preparation for the third exam, you'll work hard with no complaints, even if I have you study under someone else. That condition goes for all three of you," Itachi stated. Down in the arena, Shino and Zaku were already preparing to fight.

"Fine, no complaints," Shikamaru nodded.

"You didn't have to do that, Shikamaru," Choji said frowning, Itachi turning away from them to spectate. "I probably won't make it, so you and Ino should be watching."

"No way," argued Shikamaru shaking his head. "These Sound guys are out for blood. They would have killed us in the forest to get to Sasuke and I don't think he'll knock you out just because the Sensei are here. Killing is allowed, and his augmentations could leave you stone deaf."

"I don't know about Dosu's range, but I think he can increase the sound frequency of his attacks, and they would have been at their worst in the forest," Ino said. "I can't see him being allowed to make the spectators deaf too."

Shikamaru cupped his chin. "But either way, Choji needs to find some way of protecting his ears…"

"The match is over," Itachi intoned, glancing over his shoulder.

"What? But it's only been a couple of minutes at most!" Shikamaru argued.

It really was over though, with Shikamaru holding her up, Ino could see dark patches on the floor, which upon closer inspection were huge swarms of bugs, and Zaku looked to be in a bad way. He was in a pile on the floor, one arm at an unnatural angle and the other was completely detached at the elbow some several feet from Zaku's collapsed form.

"W-what the hell happened?" Ino questioned.

"Shino's bugs got into Zaku's internal palm mechanism, it seems the tube leads far up his arm," Itachi explained, "when he tried to use his technique, it blew his arms off instead. Even then, the types of bug Shino summoned eat chakra, Zaku wouldn't have lasted long anyway."

"But, we didn't even come up with a plan," argued Shikamaru.

Itachi shrugged. "I can't help you there, there's nothing to be done, Hayate has already called the result." On the arena floor, two medics were putting Zaku on a stretcher.

"Damn it!" Shikamaru growled. Behind him, Choji smiled.

"It'll be okay, you guys gave me an idea," he said quietly, stepping around his teammates and heading to the stairs.

Shikamaru put out a hand to his friend's retreating back. "Ch-Choji…"

"It'll be alright, let him go," said Itachi gently. "If things get heated, I'll step in before any lasting harm is done."

Standing before Dosu with a wide, easy grin on his face, Choji waited for the call to start before leaping back, flipping in the air and activating his Expansion Jutsu. "Human Boulder!" The gained distance allowed Choji to build up momentum as he charged at Dosu.

"Ha, it won't be that easy!" Dosu yelled, pulling his sleeve up and thrusting the device on his wrist toward Choji, a high pitched noise ringing through the arena. It didn't stop Choji though or even send him off course. Hurriedly, Dosu dived to the side. "Maybe because your head didn't get bigger you have a somewhat dimmed sense of hearing in that jutsu? I guess I'll just have to turn up the decibels and find out!" As Choji turned in his expanded state, Dosu raced forward, sound ringing out from his arm and blasting at Choji. Jumping back, Dosu littered the floor with shuriken.

Twisting, Choji deactivated his jutsu, pivoting. "Fuck," he swore, hand on his right ear. Reaching into his weapon pouch, Choji tried throwing kunai at Dosu to keep him busy while he charged chakra to his feet and leapt forward weaving the signs for Expansion again.

"Not this time, I've got you!" roared Dosu, the sound from his arm powerful enough to have Ino wincing and grabbing her head. Around her, Sensei and Genin alike were covering their ears.

"Choji!" cried Ino, looking for the boy who was no longer in front of Dosu.

"There!" Shikamaru pointed to the wall where Choji was dazed, the wall smashed behind him, likely from collided with his Expansion jutsu from the large circular shape of the damage. He also showed no signs of getting up, completely limp and slumped against the stone. "Choji! Snap out of it!"

"I'm not sure he's fit to continue," Itachi said from next to them. His voice was like a distant whisper, leading Ino to worry her lip, hoping there was no lasting damage to her own ears.

Hayate clearly thought the same though and jumped between Choji and Dosu. "Um, I'm calling it here," he got out before needing to cough. "Akimichi Choji cannot continue the fight, the winner is Kinuta Dosu."

"Ino, hold onto the rail, I'm gonna check on Choji," Shikamaru said, waiting until Ino had supported herself before running to the stairs, meeting Itachi who hadn't reached Choji yet, distracted by something on the floor.

Covering his mouth with the back of his hand, Itachi started to chuckle, showing Shikamaru what he'd found as the boy made a beeline towards him.

"What is it?" Ino called.

Shikamaru looked up with a wide disbelieving smile. "Cheese."

"What?"

"EH? What was he doing? Trying to snack mid-fight?" Naruto demanded.

Hayate spoke up from beside Choji, something in his palm. "Um, there's cheese here too. It looks like he had it in his ears."

"Ew," Temari cringed, grimacing.

"Pretty clever," Itachi praised, dropping the small chunk of dairy and closing the space between himself and Choji, shaking the boy gently. When Choji didn't wake up, Shikamaru helped shift the boy onto Itachi's back, the two heading for the stairs, only pausing as medical ninja met them at the stairs. Itachi passed Choji on to the medical ninja and Ino had to wait until the two had returned before she could ask what happened.

"They're taking Choji to rest and check his ears over," Itachi explained.

"He's probably fine," Shikamaru added.

"Alright. Could the winners of each match please come down? The preliminaries are now complete!" called Hayate, taking the moments after to cough while the Genin assembled, the Hokage, Anko and Ibiki joining them.

The winners lined up in a row facing the stone hands as they had at the beginning of the preliminaries, the three invigilators forming another line that separated the Genin from Hiruzen who stood further back.

"Well done to all of you how passed, we'll now explain the details of the third exam more thoroughly," Hayate began, only to be cut off by Naruto.

"What about Sasuke? He's still not here."

"Sasuke will be informed of the details once he regains consciousness," Hiruzen said. "We want everyone fighting at their best and to test your abilities to digest and utilize the intel you've gained on your competitors thus far. That is why we will hold the third exam in one month, and why the preliminaties had to begin immediately to fit the time frame already laid out." Taking a drag from his pipe, Hiuzen continued. "We want to see your best and so will all of the visitors coming to watch. During the month's preparation, there is no limit on where you seek information from. You may even spy on your competitors. However, engaging in battle before the exam is forbidden and is grounds for disqualification."

"The third exam is a knockout tournament with similar rules to the preliminaries, only we'll be announcing the brackets early," Anko continued, producing a small box. "Inside her are balls numbered one to ten. Each bracket has 5 competitors. To make it fair, numbers four and five will fight first, then nine and ten, allowing them to rest before they fight again."

"Eh?" Naruto frowned. "I don't get it."

Anko shoved the box towards Naruto. "We'll show you a picture in a minute, just take a ball."

Naruto pouted but did as asked, brightening when he saw the number one looking back at him.

Once everyone had pulled a number, Ibiki called out the matches, writing on a clip board as he went. "When I say your number raise your hand so I can record it. Number four Kinuta Dosu, will fight number five, Nara Shikamaru. The winner of that match will fight number three after number one, Uzumaki Naruto and number two, Hyuuga Neji fight."

"Who's three?" Naruto frowned.

"Sasuke probably, no one raised their hand so it's the only number still in the box," Shikamaru sighed. "What a drag, I have to fight more."

"Number nine," Ibiki continued over the boys, "Temari will fight number ten, Kankuro. The winner will battle number eight, Aburame Shino. And the final match is between numbers six and seven, Gaara and Yamanaka Ino."

Around her, Ino saw people shifting in her peripherals, probably sizing up opponents. She didn't dare look towards Gaara. There was no way she could do what Lee did. She'd be killed.

"I'll dismiss you all to commence your training in a moment, are there any final questions before I do?"

"I have one," Shikamaru said, raising his hand. "This tournament, are you suggesting only one of us, the one who wins all of their matches, will become a Chuunin?"

"Not at all. From this point on, you are the ten shortlisted candidates for Chuunin," Hiruzen replied with a grin. "The lords of various countries, as well as myself and the Kazekage will be judging each of your performances and assessing you all. If we believe you display the characteristics needed in a Chuunin, even if you lose your first match, you will be promoted to Chuunin. Similarly, winning the tournament does not necessarily mean you will become a Chuunin if the judging panel does not think you are ready."

"So… we could all become Chuunin?" Temari clarified.

"Indeed." Looking around the Genin once more and seeing no raised hands, Hiruzen called. "You're dismissed to the village proper. You injured comrades will be moved to Konoha hospital over the next few days."


	18. Solo Training Part 1 in Search of Sensei

Wow, so many reviews. Seriously, thank you everyone for taking the time to do that, it means a lot.

* * *

With Shikamaru supporting her, Ino and Shikamaru quietly made their way towards the medical floor along with Shino, Sakura and Naruto. Leading the way through the tower were Kurenai and Itachi. Kakashi had disappeared for one reason or another, but Naruto and Sakura were fairly sure he was with Sasuke and Gai had left with the medical ninjas that had taken Lee.

There they discovered Sasuke had already been moved to Konoha's hospital as had Hinata, various clan members coming to collect their heirs and move them to the more equipped main hospital. Thanking the ninja there, Naruto, Sakura and Shino left with Kurenai, leaving Itachi and Shikamaru to make their way to an unconscious Choji while Ino got checked over by Izumi.

"Is Lee going to be okay?" she asked the medic.

Izumi sat on the floor, a green-sheened chakra coating her hands where they hovered above Ino's ankle. "He's beyond me, the bones in his left arm and leg were crushed into splinters and there's torn muscles throughout his body," she explained sadly. "We've patched him up and set the limbs ready for casts, but no one in the village has dealt with damage from using the Eight Gates. As it stands, we can't allow him to retain his status as a ninja. Lee's been forcefully retired."

That was the worst blow for any ninja, but more so for someone like Lee who had struggled to even gain the rank of ninja in the first place. Ino felt herself grow hollow at the thought. For her, it was expected that as the child of a ninja, from a prominent ninja family, that she too would become a ninja. But Lee was a child lacking in talent from an unknown family. He'd put his all into becoming a Shinobi and now the title was being torn away from him.

"Does Gai-sensei know?" From where she was sat, Lee looked to be alone in the medical ward. He looked small and fragile in the bed, his body swathed in bandages.

Izumi nodded. "He does, he's gone for a walk."

"I don't understand though," Ino said as Izumi had her flex her ankle and test it. "You healed me in a few minutes, it would have taken weeks if my ankle had just been bandaged. Why can't you fix Lee?"

Izumi looked away sadly. "Medical ninjutsu… it's never been well taught and those who have learned it since Lady Tsunade left the village are all self-taught, myself included. It's a difficult technique and while I'm one of the most skilled in the village at current, I'm still woefully under prepared for something like that. I'm worried I'd just make Lee's injuries more severe, or worse, hold him together just enough so that he can make to his next mission and die because I did a bad job." Checking Ino's other injuries, Izumi spent a little while longer applying her healing chakra to Ino before giving her the all clear.

Ino got up and made her way towards Choji's bed while Izumi started towards an office at the back of the room, only for Itachi to call out to her. After a moment's hesitation, Izumi joined Team 10 by Choji's bedside, hands clasped lightly in front of her. "Can I help you, Itachi?" she asked her tone one of forced detachment. So quickly Ino could have blinked and missed it, Izumi's bled into the red of the Sharingan. As though resonating with them, Itachi's own Sharingan blossomed. Then both Sharingan were gone, their owners acting as though nothing had happened.

"When you head back to the village, I'd like you to take Ino to Shisui," Itachi explained.

"Who's that?" Ino asked at the same time Izumi asked, "Why?"

"He's going to train Ino over the next month," Itachi replied in answer to both questions.

"Wait, you're not training Ino?" Shikamaru balked, his eyes bugging, "But she's fighting Gaara!"

"I'm aware." Itachi raised a placating hand. "But I can't train both of you and I feel Shisui is the best person to pair with Ino, while I train you, Shikamaru."

"What if I don't want your help?" Shikamaru challenged his tone rising in anger, "I can train with my dad just fine for Dosu. You train Ino."

"I appreciate your valour, but I can't help Ino win that fight," said Itachi simply. Turning his gaze to Ino, he added, "Shisui is a stronger ninja than I am. From the look of your bracket, it would be better to make a tactical forfeit, but as you know, the ruling is that you can lose and still make Chuunin. I trust Shisui to help you hone your skills enough to prove your physical prowess and intelligence while also preventing you from meeting the same fate as Lee."

Ino felt dread pool within her. Quaking, she summarised, "So even you think I can't win." She'd thought she stood no chance against Gaara the moment the match had been announced, and to hear her Sensei openly saying the same hurt more than she had expected, tears prickling at her eyes. "I'll just quit now then."

"You're not quitting," Itachi told her firmly. "I never said I'm sure you'll lose. You both have difficult fights ahdead but the way I fight doesn't suit your strengths, Ino. That is why I'm suggesting you train with someone else. I'd also like _both_ of you to train with your families and learn more of your clan jutsu." He turned to Shikamaru. "Your main weakness is lack of stamina and offense. In your InoShikaCho formation, you're a defender. One-on-one matches require you to be flexible in that role, that's why you're sticking with me. My stamina isn't the best but I know how to utilize it effectively as well as disable opponents at a distance. Besides, you promised me no complaints."

Groaning Shikamaru scratched the back of his head. "Fine."

He turned back to Ino, "Shisui is practically a phantom when he wants to be and a master at sleight of hand. I don't want you touching Gaara's mind at all, but increasing your sensory capacity and pairing that with a fighting style should be well within Shisui's ability."

Izumi's eyebrow twitched. "That's an odd turn of phrase. What's wrong with Gaara's head?"

"You mean other than that he's a psychopath?" Shikamaru grumbled.

"He might not seem all there, but his technique against Lee suggested that while he might generally allow his sand to do the majority of the work, he's a capable tactician. He didn't use the sand of his gourd against Lee until the boy launched his final attack," Itachi explained. "Gaara pushed his sand armour to its limit, holding it in place to wear Lee down and then used the gourd when he felt Lee's wrist and ankle break on that final blow. He knew he'd outlasted Lee, I'm sure of it. Therefore, it's likely his mind is too strong for the Transfer technique and even then, if Kankuro is to be believed and the sand attacks on his own, your body might be killed while you aren't there to move it. Either way, it's a waste of chakra and other Yamanaka techniques I've seen run the risk of making Gaara more violent. There are powerful people coming to watch your match, if he suddenly attacks them, it could be an international disaster. Stay out of his mind," Itachi repeated.

Ino didn't feel comforted in the least. She was fighting a monster impervious to any attack she knew and only had a month to master new ones. From someone she'd never met and even then it still sounded like Itachi wanted to dangle her in front of a crowd to sate his own ego. "So why can't I quit?"

"Because I want you to train hard for a month," Itachi replied simply. "I want you try and apply yourself. If, at the end of that time you still don't think you can win, forfeit. I'm not asking you to win, Ino. I'm asking you to try. I want all three of you to do your best, and working towards personal goals is the best way to do that."

"I don't follow. What personal goals?" Shikamaru said. "I'm perfectly happy quitting here too and remaining a Genin."

"So you don't want to avenge Choji and have a rematch with Dosu?"

Shikamaru made an awkward face, "Hey, don't put it like that."

Itachi smiled, "I can't force any of you to fight your matches, but I am ordering you all to train hard this month. Choji included. When he wakes up I expect him to work on his own skills and help you two if needed."

Shikamaru's eyes narrowed. "So we could rock up on the day and quit?"

"If you wanted to. All I want is three motivated students trying their best for a month."

Izumi smiled at the two finalists. "I think you're misinterpreting Itachi's intentions." They looked to her in confusion and even Itachi's expression was one of curiosity. "Itachi believes in both of you, but he knows you're scared, Ino, and that you, Shikamaru, lack motivation. And you, Itachi," she added with a playful note, "need to work on your bribery skills. So far the only one gaining anything here is you."

"What would you have me offer?" Itachi asked tipping his head. Looking between the two Uchiha, Ino realised she'd seen Izumi before. She was the girl in the picture in Itachi's apartment.

"I know one thing I want," Ino spoke up, eyes glinting mischievously.

"I'm not sure I like your expression," Itachi noted, his voice a pitch higher as though he was genuinely worried about what she was going to demand. "But fine. Whatever it is, I'll provide if you agree to train all month."

"Great!" Ino beamed.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "Do I want to know?"

"Izumi's that girl from Itachi's apartment. I want to know the story."

"Wait, what?" Though Izumi had been the one to speak, both hers and Itachi's cheeks were tinged pink. Ino let out a small squeak of excitement. Yes, finding out what the story was would be worth a month of intensive training.

"Oh yeah, she does look like the girl in the picture," Shikamaru noted, looking from Izumi to their Sensei. "And I've never actually seen Sensei flushed before." He smirked, "Sure what the hell. I'll put my back into it for the truth behind that. I'm curious about the mystery boy in that photo too, so my deal is a full explanation of the photo. With a right to verify your story against Izumi and anyone else I might see fit to ask."

Itachi's mouth opened to speak only to close again. Covering his face with his hand, he sighed heavily. "Why couldn't you just have asked for me to pay for yakiniku every night?" Behind him, Choji sat bolt upright and swivelled his head like a periscope, startling everyone.

"Food?! I'm sure someone said food. Where?!"

Somewhere between perturbed and resigned, a bead of sweat rolled down Itachi's face, the older teen sagging slightly. Chuckling into the back of her hand Izumi turned to go. "Well, your teammate looks fine, and if you're all agreed, I'll just finish my paperwork and introduce you to Shisui," she told Ino with a bright smile before walking away.

* * *

With plans to meet at Itachi's apartment at seven for their promised dinner, Ino left the training ground with Izumi, who was like a veritable ray of sunshine as they walked through Konoha.

"Itachi really has a picture of me in his home?" she asked Ino as they headed towards the Uchiha district.

"Yeah, he wouldn't tell us anything about it though."

"Well, I won't spoil your reward by reeling off stories," Izumi giggled. Leading Ino through the streets she greeted various Uchiha shop owners that waved to her and slipped down a side street Ino wouldn't have noticed on her own. "Shisui works for the Police Force, so we'll double check he isn't there before I take you to his house."

"So he's a Police Officer, not a ninja?"

"Both technically. He used to lean more on a ninja, but he's ended up with a desk job. It doesn't affect his ability," she added. "Both he and Itachi would rather train 'til they dropped than sit at a desk all day, so I imagine he'd be glad for the change in pace."

Ino didn't know what she had been expecting when they entered the Konoha Police Department as she trailed behind Izumi through the swathes of desks in the building to the back corner. But to not see the man behind stacks of paperwork had been a surprise.

"Hey, Shisui? Are you in there?" Izumi asked.

"He's in there somewhere," chuckled the Uchiha at the desk behind them, pushing a lock of long brown hair back as he looked between reports.

"Excuse me, ladies." Turning, Ino saw another Uchiha male. This one looked to be in his fifties, his hair grey and styled into a leftward spike. "Shisui's been bathing in paperwork all day. I wouldn't be surprised if he's asleep somewhere in all those stacks," he chuckled as he sidled past, pointing to the piles with the scroll he was carrying. "Feel free to slip behind the desk and give him a poke, Izumi."

Izumi looked at the stacks of paperwork carefully stacked on the floor around Shisui's desk, pouting. "I'd rather not. I think he might cry if I knock them over, but thanks, Tenzo." She was silent a moment before an idea came to her. "Shisui~. There's someone here to see you. They brought food~," she sing-songed.

"... What kind of food?" a male voice from somewhere behind the desk grumbled softly.

"Uhh… onigiri?" Izumi tried.

The voice sighed. "At least I don't have to move to eat that." A hand rose up from the middle of the work cell and flapped around. "Izumi, feed me!"

"This guy's supposed to be my Sensei?" Ino muttered to Izumi. "He sounds like a kid."

"Huh? Izumi, you with someone?" the voice asked curiously, one of the stacks of paper twitching.

Izumi rolled her eyes. "I did say someone was here to see you. Escape your desk and I'll buy us something from Auntie Maiko's café."

"Deal." Ino tensed and jumped a foot in the air. It was the same voice as before, but it was behind her, not the stacks of paper. "Oh, you look like how I feel," the man noted, looking Ino up and down. Turning, Ino was met with what she at first mistook as an older Sasuke. The man before her had a similar face, but his expression was far more open than she remembered Sasuke's ever being. His dark eyes shone with mirth, though the slight bags under his eyes told of many sleepless nights. Short dark wavy hair stuck up in all directions, something that was probably aggravated by how he agitatedly ran his fingers through it. "I'm Uchiha Shisui, I'm afraid I have a lot of paperwork as you can see. So if you have a police enquiry, I'd suggest asking another officer for help," Shisui said bashfully.

Ino raised her hands, "Ah, um, it-it's not like that," she stammered. "Actually, I'm in the Chuunin exams and I need a Sensei to help me train for the third exam. M-my name's Yamanaka Ino."

"Oh?" Shisui blinked. "What about your Sensei?"

Izumi nudged Shisui towards the door, "Come on, let's get some food in you, we'll explain outside. Inabi, if anyone asks, Shisui's on break."

The long haired Uchiha from before waved his hand dismissively without looking up, "They won't!"

Several minutes later found Ino at a wooden bench in a quaint little café, sharing a pot of tea and a small platter of onigiri with Shisui and Izumi, the former practically melting with each mouthful and the latter excusing herself to talk to the owner of the café, Meiko, taking her mug of tea with her.

Unable to find it in her to interrupt the man from what was most likely his first meal all day if she went off how he was treating it, Ino resigned herself to sipping at her drink while Shisui enjoyed the feeling of not being surrounded by knee high stacks of paperwork for the first time in hours.

"So, about your Sensei," Shisui said, third rice ball in hand. "How come they aren't training you?"

"He said it's because two of us passed and he's more equipped to deal with my teammate and his matches than me and mine," Ino explained boredly, reading the café's breakfast menu for something to do.

"That's a bit shitty of him," Shisui noted. "So why me? Did Izumi mention I was dying from deskwork?"

Ino smirked, scoffing a little. "She did make it sound like you would rather train than sit and work. But no, actually my Sensei recommended you."

Shisui paused, onigiri halfway to his mouth. "Is that so? I feel kinda bad for insulting him then. By the way, who is your Sensei?"

"Uchiha Itachi." Shisui promptly choked on the mouthful of rice he'd been eating. Coughing, he took a moment to compose himself. "Uhm…. Are you okay?" Ino asked worriedly.

"Y-yeah," Shisui gasped. "Sorry. Wasn't expecting that answer." He coughed again, flushing as the Meiko brought over a glass of water from him. "Thanks Auntie," he mumbled, waiting for her to go back to Izumi before talking to Ino. "You're Itachi's kid. I guess that makes sense, there aren't actually that many people who would line up to ask me to teach them anything." He ran his hand through his hair thoughtfully. "Who're you fighting?" Shisui asked, his back a little straighter, his voice a little deeper. His chakra seemed to shift a little too, sharpening slightly as though even that was getting serious.

"Gaara. He's from Suna."

Shisui frowned. "In that case, I don't know anything on him immediately." Humming thoughtfully as he looked Ino over again, he said, "I'll do some digging. You look really tired and have that air of post-mission processing. Go home, get some sleep and we'll meet up in the morning to exchange information."

"So… is that you agreeing to teach me?" Ino asked. "What about your paperwork?"

"Yep, and don't worry about that. I have enough holiday saved up to take the month off, I'll go by the chief's house later and talk about it," Shisui said, waving his hand. "It won't be a problem."

Ino still wasn't entirely convinced by the arrangement, but Shisui seemed to exude confidence and calmness in equal measure and the easy smile on his face made Ino reluctant to burst his bubble. Gaara wasn't going to be beaten with optimism.

"If that's all sorted," Shisui began, plucking the last two onigiri from the plate. "I'm gonna go back to the Police Department. I'll meet you at Yamanaka Flower Shop around noon tomorrow. Does that sound alright? Oh, and please feel free to train with your family in the meantime."

"E-eh? But, didn't you say to rest?"

Shisui blinked. "Yeah, today. But I was meaning you don't have to sit around waiting for me if you have other things to do."

"Oh."

Chuckling, Shisui reached out and poked her forehead with his index and middle finger as he walked towards the café entrance. "Well. Later." Shocked, Ino didn't reply, her hand sluggishly coming up to cover her forehead. When she turned to look for Shisui, the man was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

"Kaka-sensei totally blew me off for training," Naruto complained flopping beside Itachi in their booth at the barbecue restaurant. "And I wanted ramen!"

"Quit your whining, Naruto, you're not paying," Shikamaru chastised. "We already agreed on barbecue before you were invited."

"And you aren't the only one not getting taught by your Sensei," Ino pointed out.

"Eh? Itachi's fobbing one of you off?" Naruto asked, looking between Itachi, Shikamaru and Ino. "You better not have been a dick like Kaka-sensei and sent them off to a weirdo pervert."

"He's weird, sure, but I don't think he's a pervert," Ino reasoned, thanking Choji as he passed her a plate of carefully cooked meat. Content in his role of chef, Choji minded their food while the others talked, his reward being that no one realised or commented on his pile of meat being double the size of anyone else's.

Shikamaru cocked an eyebrow, "Who did you end up with, Naruto?"

"An asshole," Naruto huffed. "He calls himself an elite Jonin, but I kicked his butt before we even entered the Chuunin exams."

"Huh? How'd you beat an elite Jonin?" Choji asked.

Naruto beamed. "My Harem jutsu. The guy's nose bled so much he passed out." Getting up, Naruto clasped his hands into the sign for Transformation. "I'll show you!"

"Naruto," Itachi cut in firmly, "if you do that here, we'll be thrown out."

Ino cringed. "What kind of weird ass jutsu is it?"

"Don't ask," Shikamaru sighed. "But still. Sasuke's got like his entire clan, how come Kakashi-sensei isn't training you, Naruto?"

Naruto crossed his arms in annoyance. "Kaka-sensei said I have the worst basic skills. Which is a lie!" he insisted. "Then that Ebisu guy gave me some stupid papers and lectured me on how much of an idiot I am. Asshole!"

"Was he trying to say anything in particular?" Shikamaru pressed. Naruto's lack of attention span for long explanations was legendary.

"Something about cat control and Sasuke being as amazing as Sakura at it. I hate cats!" Naruto snapped, reaching for a piece of pork on the barbecue, only for Choji to swat his hand away with chopsticks. "Hey!"

"It's not ready yet, Naruto, one side is still raw," Choji insisted.

"And I'm not sure they were talking about cats, Naruto," Shikamaru added.

Itachi hummed softly in thought. "Did Ebisu-sensei have you doing any particular exercises?"

"He took me to a hot spring and told me to walk on the water," Naruto replied. "I spent all afternoon getting hot baths 'cause I kept falling in."

Choji perked up. "If you want, Naruto, I can come with you tomorrow and show you how to do it."

"Wait what?" Naruto blinked owlishly. "You can walk on water?"

The three Team 10 Genin hummed. "Itachi-sensei had us learn before the Chuunin exams," Choji explained, piling some meat onto a plate and offering it to Naruto. "Since I'm not preparing for the next round though, I'd be happy to help, here you go."

Naruto's eyes blew wide. "Really!? That'd be awesome, Choji!" Thanking Choji for his food, Naruto chuckled to himself, seeming much happier to have someone he actually liked offering help.

"So what's your Sensei like, Ino?" asked Shikamaru now Naruto was quiet enough for other people to converse.

Ino hummed in thought, searching for the right words. "He's a Police Officer. And he kind of gives off big brother vibes, but I wouldn't say he left the impression on me that he's strong."

"There's strength to be had in deception," Itachi noted. "Most strong ninja don't act like they are, so they continue to be underestimated."

"If that's the case, Shisui must be a demon in disguise," Ino drawled. "He said he'll be my Sensei and that he's going to look into Gaara and meet me tomorrow. I think he'll change his mind once he finds out how strong Gaara is," she added softly.

"Don't be so sure," Itachi replied knowingly. "I think Shisui will surprise you."

Ino gave a half-hearted hum. "Just don't go back on your promise. I'll train, but if at the end of it I want to quit, I will."

"I have no interest in allowing my teammates to die, Ino," Itachi said firmly. "Gaara is a dangerous opponent, and it's wiser to avoid certain death than walk towards it blindly."

"What about what Ibiki was saying in the first exam?" Naruto asked, "He said we have to be ready to risk our lives if we want to be Chuunin."

"Yes, but there's risking your life where there's a chance of survival and agreeing to a suicide mission," Itachi explained. "Those are very different circumstances and only a certain kind of ninja participates in the latter."

"What kind of ninja?"

"A broken one. One with no family or friends. With nothing left to tie them to the village," Itachi said slowly. "But also… Hokage."

Naruto startled, his eyes blowing wide as he repeated, "Hokage?"

"To be Hokage means to put the village before your own desires every time. They will always fight an impossible battle because of the chance their sacrifice saves the village, either by eliminating the threat at the cost of their own life, or by weakening it so that the next combatant can win without dying too." Itachi smiled gently, "But you four are Genin with strong ties to this village, so none of you should run towards death just yet."

"When I become Hokage," Naruto started, "I'll be the strongest ninja ever, so no one has to die."

His smile widening, Itachi poked Naruto in the forehead, the blow a little harder than he normally would because of Naruto's Hitai-ate. "You'd better. I want to retire peacefully, not on the receiving end of an enemy attack."

Naruto made a face and slapped Itachi's hand away. Bursting with confidence, Naruto declared, "Leave it to me! I'll be Godaime in no time!"

* * *

"Cheery aren't they?" Kurenai mused from the other side of the restaurant. She, Anko, Kakashi and Hayate sat in a smaller booth, the grill turned off to make more space for the documents Anko and Hayate had brought. While they could see the group of teens, their own table was hidden by Kurenai's genjutsu, though from the couple of times Itachi had caught her eye, it was probable he wasn't a victim of the illusion.

"Well, Naruto is at least," Anko smirked.

Hayate coughed and reached for his drink. "Does Ino really stand a chance against Gaara? I'm surprised she didn't withdraw when the match ups were announced."

"Probably shell-shocked," Anko dismissed. "Going back to the task at hand: have any of you been able to locate Kabuto?"

"Locate would be the wrong word for my experience," Kakashi spoke up. "He was in Sasuke's hospital room. Not only had he disabled the guards, but he had the time between doing that and my arrival to surgically alter one of the corpses into a decoy so he could escape."

Hayate's eyes widened in horror, "But those guards were all ANBU!"

Kurenai frowned. "Why take the time to alter the guard? If he was there for Sasuke, Kabuto's time would be better spent dealing with him."

"Maybe he rethought his task?" Hayate suggested. "Do we know who he's working for?"

"Isn't it obvious? It has to be Orochimaru," Anko spat. "What did Itachi get out of watching the Oto Sensei?" she asked Kakashi.

"Itachi noted he seemed to delight in Sasuke's Curse Mark activating, but he also thinks the man was interested in it being suppressed by Sasuke's will," Kakashi reported. "He also noted Orochimaru reacted with similar interest in Neji and Gaara, though neither of us can be sure why."

"It might still be worth warning the Hyuuga," Anko sighed. "The Uchiha have also been informed about Sasuke and the Curse Mark. Lord Hokage summoned Uchiha Fugaku to his office the moment we were done in the tower."

"With the Byakugan and Sharingan looking for Kabuto, is there really any need for us to look?" Hayate wondered.

"It can hardly hurt to keep vigilant," Kakashi replied. "Especially if he's ANBU level. That means each of Kabuto's failures at the exams was intentional."

"Yeah," continued Anko. "Lord Hokage has allowed unfettered access to all of Kabuto's mission records. There's lots of inconsistencies. Blank periods where his mission counts don't add up to reports."

Kakashi's eye narrowed. "Classified missions?"

"Most likely. We know Orochimaru had at least a few dealings with Danzo, so a code breaker is currently looking through the records we have on Root," Anko revealed. "If Kabuto was ever a member, that could explain his ability."

"Why doesn't Lord Hokage just ask Danzo directly?" Kurenai wondered.

Hayate answered, "Do you really think Danzo wouldn't lie to save his own skin there?"

"Not to mention the problems that arise should Kabuto be a ANBU Root agent," Anko noted.

"What problems? Don't all Root members have a seal on their tongues to stop them being traitors?" Kakashi asked.

"Orochimaru's a master of fuuinjutsu, I have no doubt he could remove that seal if he wanted to," Anko said. "Which means Orochimaru might have had a traitor in Konohagakure for years without even Danzo realising."

Hayate cupped his chin thoughtfully. "To what end? He's been gone for years, only to suddenly reappear at this moment. If he wanted the Sharingan, there's at least fifty of them in the village, and more Uchiha than just Sasuke go on missions outside of the village."

Kakashi hummed, "Itachi for one. You're right though, targeting them outside the village where there are limited resources and a low chance of backup would be ideal. Is he just high on hubris from forming a village of his own?"

"Orochimaru's probably never had his head on straight," Anko sighed. "He told me his goal is Sasuke, but that can't be the only thing he's here for. There must be something else."

"It's only a matter of time before it's uncovered," Hayate reasoned.

* * *

"_Well? What is your report_?"

Orochimaru raised his head and looked out to Konoha. As with all the foreign ninja entering the Chuunin exams, Orochimaru and his Sound team had been given a guest villa towards the outskirts of Konoha. A sign they were welcome, but not exactly wanted in the village. Below him on a wooden patio, Dosu sparred with Kin while Kabuto watched on boredly hands coated in green healing chakra above Zaku's arms repairing them. Again.

Crossing his arms, Orochimaru replied to the voice echoing in his mind. "I found the Kyuubi jinchuriki and I believe I've located another one. A demonic boy from Suna. His team gives him a wide berth and even his Sensei looks afraid," Orochimaru added with a chuckle. Closing his eyes revealed the world of the one contacting him; a dark cave with no lighting bar the chakra given off by multiple figures, their eyes the only distinguishing feature.

"Suna. Must be the Ichibi," noted a gravelly voice from the shortest of the phantoms. "My target."

"Is it wise to move on the jinchuriki now?" asked a tall phantom with beady eyes, "We haven't a full team yet."

"You just don't want to do all the heavy lifting, Kisame," Orochimaru teased. "And it isn't as though I'm not here for my own reasons."

"Just be careful not to confuse business with pleasure," the man who had contacted him said forcefully. "If those two are killed in your schemes, rest assured you won't be seeing dawn ever again."

Orochimaru's left hand twitched, the ring on his pinky finger catching in the light. "Understood, _Leader_," he said, glad the man couldn't see the snarl on his lips.

Cutting the communication, Orochimaru dropped down from his perch to confront his minions. "Pack up, we're leaving. Kabuto, rendezvous with Sasori, I have an idea I want to run by him."

"What about my match?" Dosu asked. Behind him, Kabuto gave a low bow and vanished in a flash.

Orochimaru cocked his eyebrow. "After how easily the Nara dispatch Kin, do you really think you can beat him? Retain some of your dignity, walk away," he sneered.

Dosu was quiet for a moment. "You asked us to kill Sasuke, then gave him the Curse Mark. Now you want us to leave." Orochimaru gave Dosu a dispassionate look, waiting for the foolish boy to come out with what his intention was. "I wish to stay."

Rolling his eyes, Orochimaru waved him off. "Do what you will. Kabuto is also testing his limits." Though perhaps _leash_ was the correct word. "Kin, Zaku," he ordered acidly.

"Right away, Lord Orochimaru!" both replied like puppies eager to please.


	19. Solo Training Part 2 Sensei in the Onsen

"So, how do you want to do this, Naruto?" Choji asked as they walked through the streets of Konoha.

"Hmm, might as well go back to the onsen," Naruto mused, hands clasped behind his head. "Ebizu's probably up there, the closet pervert, so once you help me master the walking on water he can see that and actually teach me a cool jutsu." He grinned at Choji who smiled back gently.

"Are you not worried about facing Neji at all?" Choji asked.

Naruto pouted, "Why should I be? So he's got magic eyeballs, Sasuke's got magic eyeballs and it doesn't make him better than I am."

"Maybe so, but Neji's got a lot of skill," argued Choji. "Even Lee respects his strength and we saw just what Lee was capable of."

Naruto made a non-committal noise, looking downcast for a moment before smiling again. "It'll be fine, I'll kick Neji's butt, I'll kick Sasuke's butt and then I'll beat Gaara and win the entire tournament!" he laughed.

Choji smirked, "Hey, don't underestimate Shikamaru and Ino, they're strong too."

"Nah, Shikamaru isn't gonna beat Sasuke," Naruto reasoned walking up the steps to Konoha's hot spring resort. The resort itself was split into a number of buildings with hot natural spring water flowing through carefully crafted waterways both in and around the springs, leading to the area being accessible by bridge.

Rather than checking into the springs and having to exchange their clothes, Naruto lead Choji around the side of the onsen towards the women's bathhouse where Ebisu was waiting impatiently tapping his foot. Ebisu was a lanky man who seemed a fan of more traditional ninja attire; the standard Jonin uniform minus the flak jacket, his Hitai-ate covering his hair like a bandana, and his eyes hidden behind dark classes, all pointing towards stealth over personality. He looked like he could be a background character in a manga.

"Naruto! You're late!" Ebisu shouted. Noticing Choji belatedly, Ebisu pointed at the other boy, "Who is this? I'm training you as a favour to Kakashi-sensei, I won't have you bringing people for free lessons!"

"Who's this plain guy with no flair?" Choji asked Naruto. "Even my Great-Granddad never looked so boring. And he fought the First Shinobi War in all black armour."

"The metal kind or bamboo?" Naruto asked, completely ignoring Ebisu.

"Metal. And he had this cool tengu mask. It had these massive tusks and Gramps swears down he used to impale enemies on them, since the tusks were always covered in blood when he came home from battle."

"Wow!" Naruto lit up, eyes sparkling with awe. "Hey, do you still have the mask? I reaaally wanna see it."

"Naruto don't ignore me!" Ebisu roared, drawing the attention of the two boys.

"Shut your pie hole, Ebisu. Choji already knows how to walk on water," Naruto shot with a dark look. "I asked him for help."

Ebisu blinked in confusion and Choji saw this as a good time to show Naruto was telling the truth. Taking a moment to gather his chakra, Choji turned to the nearest river of hot water and walked onto the surface. He looked back to Naruto and Ebisu with a smile.

"See! Told you!" Naruto shouted. "Hey, Choji! That's awesome!" he added encouragingly, making Choji laugh in slight embarrassment as his smile grew.

Ebisu sighed. "Alright, but what does having another person here who can walk on water do for you?"

"Choji's gonna teach me, because last time you got bored and started peeping at the ladies!" Naruto hollered, pointing at the bathhouse in question. An ominous rumble seemed to come from within.

Ebisu clapped a hand over Naruto's mouth, "Shhhh!" he hissed, looking over to the bathhouse worriedly.

Choji sagged. "Naruto, my parents will kill me if I get marched home by the police for peeping. Even if it's a crime by association."

"Ignore him, Choji," Ebisu insisted, "I would never do such a thing." Choji slowly quirked a judging eyebrow but didn't comment.

"Right, well. Hey, Naruto, show me how you were trying it yesterday," Choji instructed, walking back to flat ground.

Naruto rolled up his sleeve eagerly, "Right!"

Choji was by no means an expert in sensing chakra, but Naruto's practically wafted off of him, crazy and untamed as he gathered it together and pushed it to his feet. It wasn't really a surprise when Naruto took one step onto the water and sank like a brick.

"Yaah! Hot!" Naruto cried, clambering out.

Seeing movement out of the corner of his eye, Choji dived at Naruto, knocking him to the ground as something pink swiped over their heads. Spinning to a crouch, one hand on the floor in preparation to either dodge or charge forward and attack, the other thrown out in front of Naruto protectively Choji surveyed the situation. A man in a short green kimono with matching trousers and a red haori with long bushy white hair bound in a ponytail sat atop a rhino sized toad, likely the one who had attacked them. Choji unfortunately knew nothing about toads, but he didn't like the combination of deep orange skin and blue speckles. Probably poisonous. Nearby, Ebisu was flat on his back on one of the onsen's wooden bridges.

"Wow… where'd that guy come from?" Naruto wondered.

"Nice reflexes kid," the man praised looking between Choji, Naruto and Ebisu. "Unlike that fool over there. Now, do you two think you can be quiet? I have important work to do."

Shifting from behind Choji, Naruto jumped to check on Ebisu. "Choji! He's knocked out! And what's with that huge frog?"

"Summoning animal probably," Choji mumbled standing slowly watching the man warily. "Who are you?"

The man frowned, looking between the two teens. Glancing over his shoulder at the women's bathhouse, his lips stretched into a wide grin and he shifted to stand on the toad, raising his arm in a dramatic pose. "You haven't heard of me huh? Then I'll tell you! I am the wise sage of Mount Myouboku! The Toad Sage Jiraiya!"

"Toad… Sage?" Naruto didn't look impressed. "That sounds disgusting."

"He kicked your Sensei's butt though, Naruto," Choji pointed out, jumping over to Naruto as Jiraiya's summoning dissipated. Turning to the man, he asked. "You said you were working, doing what?"

"Well, since you two have quietened down, I'll tell you!" Jiraiya preened, "I'm working on a book. I'm a writer!" Reaching into his kimono, Jiraiya withdrew a book with an orange cover. "The sequel to this."

Naruto's eyes widened and he jabbed his finger at Jiraiya, "That's the same pervy book Kaka-sensei reads!" Jiraiya's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. "He's always reading that instead of paying attention to us during training! As if that's work!"

"You little snot, you're just too young to appreciate it," Jiraiya hissed. "Try again in ten years." He span on his heel and began to walk back towards the women's bathhouse, revealing a large scroll sitting across the base of his spine.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?!" Naruto and Choji roared. Surprised they said the same thing, each boy raised an eyebrow at the other.

"Hmm?" The man paused and looked to them. "What do you mean?"

"You knocked my Sensei out! How am I supposed to keep training?" Naruto demanded. "I have an important tournament in a month!"

"The men's baths are on the other side!" Choji yelled raising his fists, "What do you think you're doing?"

"Research," Jiraiya told Choji plainly. Looking to Naruto, he added, "As for you, what does it matter to me that he's knocked out? You were all making too much noise and the girls were starting to get shifty. So, I decided to come out here and shut you up."

"Sages shouldn't be looking at naked women," Choji deadpanned. "If you go back, I'll go tell the Konoha Police."

The man tensed and looked over his shoulder concern written all over his face, "Are they still all Uchiha?" Jiraiya asked.

"Pretty much, and my Sensei's an Uchiha," Choji added, "So why don't you come back over here if you don't intend to use the onsen, hmm?"

Frowning, Jiraiya slowly approached. "Alright, what do I have to do for you two to forget any of this happened?"

"Train me!" Naruto shouted before Choji could get a word in.

"Naruto! Are you crazy?"

"What? He's stronger than that idiot," Naruto pointed out, gesturing towards the still unconscious Ebisu with a frown.

"What about me?" Choji said, looking hurt. He'd been quite looking forward to teaching someone else a technique rather than being taught or helped himself.

Naruto gave him a sympathetic smile, eyebrows drawn together thoughtfully. "Alright, Pervy Sage, you're teaching us both!" Naruto declared. "If you do, we'll keep quiet."

"Deal."

"Naruto!"

"What?"

Choji just groaned and put his head in one hand.

"Buuut," Jiraiya drawled, "It's just for today, now come on you two idiots. We're drawing a crowd."

Bending to look around Jiraiya, Choji saw various unimpressed patrons and employees of the baths sticking their heads out of doors. The sage took to the rooftops and gestured for Naruto and Choji to follow, the blonde happily springing off after Jiraiya.

"Are you sure he's even a good ninja?" Choji asked once he caught up with Naruto. "I don't recognise that symbol on his Hitai-ate."

"Maybe he's from another country?" Naruto suggested.

"But he knew which clan the police are with," Choji pointed out.

Naruto groaned. "I dunno, Choji. But I'm not wasting more time. With your help, I'll knock this water walking stuff out of the park and maybe this guy'll teach us how to summon animals like that toad or Kaka-sensei's dogs."

"Or Itachi-sensei's crows," Choji hummed in agreement.

"Itachi has crows?"

"Yeah, did you never see them?"

Naruto and Choji blinked at each other curiously. Looking away to think, Naruto eventually spoke up, "To be honest I thought birds just liked him. Whenever I'd go to his place he'd be sat on the windowsill feeding one."

"Probably Kohaku," Choji revealed. "I think that one's his favourite."

They followed Jiraiya to a stream not far from the baths. Jerking his thumb to the water, Jiraiya commented, "So you were doing walking on water before right? Show me what you've got. Both of you," he added seeing Choji make no move to go to the water while Naruto smacked his hands together and started charging chakra.

Frowning, Choji kicked off of the ground and landed on the stream water, turning to Jiraiya expectantly. As before, Naruto fell in with a shriek. Stomping out of the water, Naruto threw his clothes off and went back to the water. "I'm sick of getting wet!" he griped, stepping in again as strange black markings faded into existence on Naruto's stomach.

"You're just charging chakra to your feet and sticking to the water, push chakra into the water," Choji tried to explain, jogging over to Naruto and grabbing him by the elbows to keep him afloat. Seeing the marks on Naruto as the blonde strained to make his chakra work for him, Choji startled. "What are those?"

"Huh? What's what?" asked Naruto. The distraction caused Naruto to forget about his chakra, leading to the marks disappearing as well as Naruto slipping further into the water, Choji fumbling and trying to stop him, only to tumble into the drink too.

"Ahhh! Cold!" Choji complained, scrambling to get his hands on the water and climb out.

"Wow! You can do it with your hands too?!" Naruto balked from his hands and knees on shore.

"Yeah, once you know how to do it with your feet, I'll help you do it with your hands too," Choji said with a shiver. "And I asked what were those marks on your stomach?"

"Huh? Oh, weird squiggle things like you see in scrolls?" Naruto asked. "Some kind of seal," he dismissed. "Itachi told me about it, he said I was born with weird chakra and because there's so much of it, it got sealed to dampen it."

It didn't sound like a lie, and with Naruto's innocent expression, Choji could well believe he was just repeating what an adult told him, but Choji had never heard of such a weird birth defect. Apparently, neither had Jiraiya as the man walked forward. "Hey, can I see them?" Jiraiya asked. "The marks."

Naruto frowned, "Why would I let you see, I barely know you."

"Because I'm your new Sensei, and I know a little bit about seals," Jiraiya explained. Naruto met Choji's gaze, the Akimichi shaking his head the barest amount. He didn't like that idea.

Hands smacking into a seal, Naruto disappeared in a puff of smoke startling Jiraiya. The smoke cleared revealing a naked, voluptuous young girl with long blonde hair in pigtails as well as Naruto's trademark whisker marks and bright blue eyes. From the smoke it soon became obvious Naruto had added clones to the mix, each as naked and beautiful as the first. Stunned, Jiryaya was powerless to stop the female Narutos as they cooed and threw themselves at him, the sage's face bright red. Moving quickly, Choji snuck behind the man and knocked him out. Another poof of smoke later and Naruto was back to normal.

"What a creep," he sighed. Looking to Choji, Naruto said, "I'll stay here and knock him out with my harem jutsu again if he wakes up, you go get Itachi."

"Shouldn't we just go to the police? What if he messes with your seals?"

Naruto shook his head. "I still need a teacher. Besides, you said I wasn't charging chakra right and to be honest, it's felt weird since the second exam, so maybe it'd be worth letting him try. But I want someone I actually trust here, and since Kaka-sensei won't give me the time of day, I'm hoping Itachi will."

Choji wasn't convinced and it probably showed on his face because Naruto smiled and clapped his hands together like a prayer. "Please, Choji? I know Shikamaru's busy too, but I'm sure this perv won't be long."

Sighing he nodded. "Fine. I'm pretty sure he and Shikamaru agreed to train at Shikamaru's house. I'll be right back. Be careful."

Naruto saluted. "You got it!"

* * *

"A weird guy with a giant toad?" Itachi repeated, frowning at Choji. Behind Itachi, Shikamaru was trapped in genjutsu, grumbling and occasionally flicking his hand at something only he could see.

"Yeah?" Choji panted, hands on his knees. He'd pushed chakra into his feet to get from the stream to the Nara District quickly. "Naruto and me knocked him out, but he wants to play with Naruto's seals."

"Naruto has seals?" Shikamaru questioned, looking over from the floor, having fallen over at some point while breaking the illusion. "Choji, when'd you get here?"

Sighing, Itachi waved his hand at Shikamaru dismissively. "I'll explain later. Take a break for an hour, Shikamaru. If I'm not back, practise your Shadow Possession."

"I'll hold you to it," Shikamaru drawled shooting Itachi a dark look, hands stuffing into his pockets as he went towards his house, flopping onto the en for a nap.

"Having a hard time with him?" Choji wondered, leading Itachi back towards where Naruto and Jiraiya were.

"I'm being less nice than usual," Itachi explained. "Genjutsu can be used for training, and with a fast mind like Shikamaru's it's more effective to do exercises in an illusionary world where he can master the theory of a technique in a short space of time and then focus on his execution of it in real time."

That sounded awful to Choji's ears and not for the first time, Choji was glad he didn't have to fight in the tournament. "So you're running him ragged?" Choji guessed.

"A little, but I've told him if he ever wants to stop, just break the genjutsu," Itachi said. "He broke it after the first hour and slept for three while I played Shogi with Shikaku."

Choji chuckled, "Yeah that sounds about right."

When they arrived, Jiraiya was just coming around, Naruto hurriedly transforming into his female form.

"Huh, what… happened…" Jiraiya drifted off, eyes racking over Naruto's female form.

"Lord Jiraiya," Itachi said in surprise, his eyebrows inching up toward his Hitai-ate. Tensing, Jiraiya redirected his gaze to the Jonin.

"Huh? You know this guy, Itachi?" Naruto flapped, not even bothering to change his voice to match his form.

"Yes… Naruto, why are you transformed like that?" Itachi asked, frowning and looking between Naruto and Jiraiya. "Nevermind, just turn back already," he sighed, hand on his head in exasperation.

A puff of smoke later and Naruto was back to his regular size and shape, though still in his boxers, looking just as confused as before. "So what do you mean _Lord_ Jiraiya?" he shot. Jiraiya coughed and tried to gather his remaining dignity.

"He's a powerful Shinobi who gained the title of Sannin during the last Great War," Itachi explained. "He'd also left the village to pursue writing I think?"

"AH! So you've heard of me!" Jiraiya said ecstatically, "Are you a fan? If you want I'll sign your book, just give me your name."

"Uchiha Itachi," Itachi replied, producing a copy of Icha Icha Paradise from his weapon pouch, stunning the three other males.

"You read that dirty book Itachi?!" Naruto spat indignantly.

"It's Kakashi's, he threw it at me and won't let me return it," Itachi replied flatly. "I figure if it's signed maybe he'll take it back finally."

Jiraiya glared at Naruto and Choji, "Hey what _is this_?! I thought you said if I agreed to train you two you wouldn't tell the cops."

Itachi's eyebrow rose higher. "I'm not in the Konoha Police Force. I joined ANBU instead before becoming a Jonin instructor," he explained, holding out the book to Jiraiya. "Address this to Kakashi will you?"

"That's a lot to unpack," Jiraiya noted with a frown, taking the book slowly and flipping it open while pulling out a pen from his pocket. "I thought all Uchiha joined the force?" he asked off-handedly, eyes flickering between writing his signature and watching Itachi warily. "Here you go."

"A few don't, it depends how their ninja career looks," said Itachi guardedly, taking the book back and slipping it into his pouch. "Choji and Naruto asked me here because you wanted to look at his seal?"

"Huh? Oh yeah," Jiraiya blinked. Turning to Naruto he said, "Charge your chakra for me?"

Naruto looked between Jiraiya and Itachi with a pout, the latter nodding reassuringly. "I'm still not sure about this, but fine." Closing his eyes to try and forget the people watching, Naruto drew on his chakra reserves and as if in response, the seals faded into view again.

"A double tetragram seal with eight trigrams," Jiraiya hummed, crouching to observe the seal. As Naruto continued to charge his chakra another layer formed on the outer ring, causing Jiraiya to frown, "Did you put that five pronged seal on him?" he asked Itachi with a dark frown.

"No," the Uchiha replied, his brows furrowed. "I've never seen that on the normal seal. You wouldn't add an odd number to even numbered seals anyway."

Jiraiya's expression softened, "Ah, so that's why they called you, you know something about fuuinjutsu."

Naruto opened one eye, "Actually, it's because I like him and know he's training a lazy bum, so probably has a lot of free time." He looked up to Itachi. "What's all this mumbo jumbo about even tetragrams?"

Stepping forward, Itachi kneeled by Jiraiya and drew his finger over the swirl pattern around Naruto's belly button. "This is a double tetragram and the eight points around it are the trigrams. When sealing you have a choice of even markers or odd, with benefits to each," Itachi said carefully. "Basically, the person who sealed your chakra chose even because it makes a stronger seal, but he also left a gap here and here," he said, poking the gaps between two sets of fours seals. "This allows your sealed chakra to drip into your main reserves."

"But the odd seal on top is affecting that," Jiraiya added. "It's covering the gaps in the trigrams as well as overbalancing the seal, which might be why you're struggling with your chakra. I'll remove it and you can try again."

"Is, that a good idea?" Naruto asked, cringing back eyes bugging at the chakra burning at Jiraiya's fingertips. "W-why is your hand like that?"

Itachi hummed. "Naruto, was there a time recently where someone's hand looked similar to Lord Jiraiya's and struck you in the stomach?"

"Huh? Uh, well – gah!" Using Naruto's distraction as an opportunity, Jiraiya thrust his hand into Naruto's belly, causing him to keel over. "Yeah," Naruto groaned. "Yeah I remember that. This feels like when that snake bastard found us in the second test."

Jiraiya and Itachi looked at each other. "I'm assuming because you aren't surprised, you're here because Orochimaru was spotted in the village?" Itachi guessed.

"Something like," Jiraiya muttered. "That guy was always lazy with his seals, especially if he had no intention of going back to the sealed object."

"Why do you guys know that snake guy?" asked Naruto, still curled up on the ground.

"He's a legendarily not nice person," Itachi replied reaching out to ruffle Naruto's hair. "Why don't you try walking on the water again?"

Grumbling, Naruto staggered to his feet, one hand wrapped around himself. "Kay, how am I meant to do this again, Choji?" Naruto asked.

"So, charge chakra to your feet and as you put it on the water, reach down and spread it out, creating a surface of chakra to stand on," Choji explained, charging chakra to demonstrate. "Too much or too little and you sink."

Nodding, Naruto took a moment, the difference before and after the seal breaking was like day and night, "This feels way better than before!" Naruto grinned, stepping onto the water, sinking at first before slowly rising back to the surface. "Haha! Yes!" Dancing around from foot to foot, Naruto grinned at Choji.

"Nice one, Naruto!" Choji praised also smiling. Over Naruto's shoulder, Choji could see Itachi and Jiraiya discussing something quietly, neither looking pleased about the subject.

"Hm, what'cha frowning about, Choji?" Naruto asked, turning to spot the two older ninja. "Huh, wonder what they're talking about?"

"No idea." Nor were they likely to find out, as Itachi walked away from Jiraiya and started back towards the village. "Itachi-sensei?"

Looking over his shoulder, Itachi called back, "I'm going to head back to Shikamaru. Lord Jiraiya has agreed to teach you both for the time being provided we keep his presence in the village a secret. I think you should take him up on his offer."

Naruto blinked, "Eh, really? So I don't have to go back to the other guy?"

"Nope!" Jiraiya said brightly. "And I'll even teach you a cool new jutsu if you stay."

Choji looked between his Sensei and the old perverted coot. "What kind of jutsu?"

"Well, I'm a toad sage. So I'll teach you summoning!" Jiraiya smiled. "And around you two doing that, I want to do some more personal training." Choji and Naruto both zeroed in on Jiraiya at that, coming over to the sage while Itachi took his leave.

"Yeah? What kind of training?" Naruto asked.

Smiling Jiraiya pointed at Naruto. "You, I'm gonna teach how to draw out more of that chakra in the seal, and you, Mister Akimichi," Jiraiya grinned, "I'll bet the other members of your InoShikaCho troupe are learning the next versions of their jutsu for single combat round about now, so we can look at training your new jutsu too. Do you know it yet?"

Choji shook his head, "Dad mentioned the Partial Expansion, but I've not practised it much. He's showing me the signs tonight."

"Ah, well, we can work on that when you come back here tomorrow. Just remember,"Jiraiya added seriously, "we're not telling anyone I'm here."

"I still don't get why," Naruto huffed, perking up as Jiraya pulled his scroll off his back and laid it on the floor. "What's with the big scroll?"

"The Summoning jutsu is done by signing a contract with the animal you want to summon," Jiraiya explained, crouching down and gesturing for the two Genin to copy. "Like I said before, I'm the Toad Sage. I'm basically like their ambassador, so I have their contract scroll." He tapped the scroll before slowly unravelling it to reveal a short list of names for how big the scroll was, "This thing. Each name here is a ninja who has made a contract with the toads of Mount Myouboku, sealed in blood. Look, you can see my name here," he added pointing to the second most recent name.

"Namikaze Minato…" Choji murmered, reading the next name. It was familiar… Startling as he suddenly remembered, Choji blurted out, "That's the Fourth Hokage!"

"Eh? The Fourth was a Toad Sage too?!"

Jiraiya shook his head. "No, he was just able to summon toads. If he'd have lived a little longer, I would have taken him to learn the sage teachings," he added sombrely, looking sadly at the name on the scroll. "But anyway," he continued in a happier tone. "Let's get you two started. Which hand do you write with? Hold it up."

Both boys looked at Jiraya weirdly, raising one hand. "It's like we're back at the academy," Naruto griped.

"Can it, Naruto," Jiraiya frowned. "This is important, so you need to listen. Now, both of you cut the thumb of that hand and sign the contract with your full name. One at a time, I know this scroll is big but you two need to make no mistakes."

"Yeesh, no pressure," Choji sighed, "You first, Naruto."

"Eh? Why me?"

"Your name's longer, so if you can make it fit I'll know I'm fine," Choji smiled.

Naruto grumbled, but nonetheless bit into the pad of his thumb until it bled, rising up onto his knees and one hand to reach up to the top of the scroll and write.

"Leave some space at the bottom," instructed Jiraiya. "See how the others have dots at the bottom? That's fingerprints from the hand that signed the contract. It's how the jutsu registers a user. Just add your blood to each finger pad and press them below your name."

Once both Choji and Naruto had signed their names and printed their fingers, Jiraiya smiled. "Great. Now, I'm going to show you the signs. I'd say… put a quarter of your remaining chakra into it." Biting on his own thumb, Jiraya spread the liquid onto he right hand. "You always need your blood on the hand you signed the contract, it can be blood from anywhere, a bit thumb, a battle wound, but it has to be yours," he explained, running through the signs slowly. "I, Inu, Tori, Saru, Hitsuji. Then, smack the hand you used in the contract on the ground, like this, releasing your chakra. Summoning jutsu!" From Jiraiya's hand seals snaked out to form concentric circles, with lines of seals dividing them similar to a spider web. A smoke cloud erupted, clearing to show the same large toad Jiraiya had summoned before. "Your turn, kids!"

"Kay!" Choji and Naruto chirped, getting to their feet and taking a few steps back. Making the signs carefully to minimize the chance of messing up, each boy smacked their hand to the ground, "Summoning!"

Two small puffs of smoke later, and each had summoned a toad. Or at least, Choji had. It was a little light orange thing with chubby cheeks and a dark blue vest. Smiling up at Choji, the toad waved, "Hey there, I'm Gamatatsu!"

"I'm Choji," Choji smiled back.

"You smell nice!" Gamatatsu noted, "Have you got snacks?"

Choji blinked in confusion but soon chuckled. "Of course I do. One sec." He twisted to reach into his pouch. "Do you like barbecue flavour?" he asked the toad, pulling out a packet of crisps and crouching down to offer them to Gamatatsu.

"Sure do!" Gamatatsu hopped forward and reached into the packet.

Across the way, Naruto stared in disbelief at the tadpole he had summoned. The little thing flailed weakly on the ground a moment before poofing back to wherever it had come from.

Jiraiya sighed, looking between his two new students. "I think we need to focus on getting you to use that big chakra reserve of yours, Naruto."


End file.
